Dear Christian Friends,
What does it take to have a crowd gather around? Maybe it is the sales on the day after Thanksgiving? Maybe it is an appearance by a movie or TV star? Maybe it is someone trying to get attention for himself by committing a violent crime? Maybe it is a sporting event? Maybe it is a concert or play? Maybe it’s a parade? There are many things that would be reasons for a crowd to gather. There is one that I didn’t mention that each of us should recognize, that is proclaiming the Word of God. It attracted a crowd on Pentecost. Jesus attracted a crowd many times during his ministry and John the Baptist also attracted a crowd.
As we today, focus our attention on John the Baptist and his work, I want to encourage you to BE LIKE JOHN THE BAPTIST!
1. Denouncing mankind’s sins.
2. Announcing mankind’s Savior from sin.
In the opening verses of his Gospel, Mark does not take us to the announcement and birth of John as Luke does in his Gospel. Instead, Mark goes back to the Old Testament, to the words of Isaiah that we heard in our first lesson. Mark goes back to when the work of John the Baptist was foretold and promised by God. Then Mark simply states, “So John came….” John came with his unique message and life style. We are told that “he wore clothing made of camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey.” John’s lifestyle reflected his message. His life was simple. His itchy camel-hair clothes reflected an idea of repentance and grief because of sin. He was not going to attract a group of followers who were seeking earthly gain of fame and fortune.
Like his lifestyle, John’s message was simple too. It was a message of repentance. That means that John reminded people what the Law of God says. He directed people to see themselves as the people who had been chosen by God but they had turned away from following God and they sinned against God daily. They needed God’s forgiveness. They needed to return to the rightful worship of the true God. The people were religious, but they were not following the directives God had set down in the Bible. They were not worshiping the God of Scripture. They were oftentimes just going through the motions of worship. Their worship wasn’t from the heart. They saw worship as an obligation.
We need to hear John’s message too. We too are sinful. We daily need to come before the Lord and seek his forgiveness. There is nothing we can do to pay for one single sin, and yet we have many sins which need to be paid for. As parents in our homes it is important for us to point out to our children, not only what we say is right and wrong, but also what God says is right and wrong. We also need to teach our children that how they need to repent of their sins. We need to make sure that our worship is from the heart and not just because of obligation.
As Christians we need to be like John in today’s world. We need to live differently from the way many people live. We have different values. We need to denounce sin. Many people don’t know what sin is. They think nothing of misusing God’s name. They think sex outside of marriage is fine. Many think sex is to be joked about, and many don’t have any idea that pornography is sinful, or that homosexuality is sinful. We need to be the voices calling out in the desert of society today. The world is a barren wasteland, a desert, lacking the knowledge of God, and the water of life. Each of us has the opportunity to be different from the non-believers of society. We must live differently because we are different, just like John the Baptist was different.
2. It was John’s work to prepare the way for Jesus. In order to prepare hearts for Jesus, the Savior, people had to be brought to a knowledge of their sins. At the same time, they needed to learn of the Savior. John pointed people to God’s forgiveness as he baptized them. He also directed the people to Jesus as he announced that the Savior was near at hand. He said the Savior would be coming after him. John said that Jesus, the Messiah would be more powerful than John and that he would fill them with the Holy Spirit, which indeed Jesus did. Especially on Pentecost day, our Savior sent his Holy Spirit to fill the disciples with faith and understanding.
We need to hear this message too. We personally need to hear the message so that we may enjoy the forgiveness of our sins. We need to hear the message to be assured of God’s love for us in Jesus Christ. That is also why we come to worship and why we come to the Lord’s Supper repeatedly. We come so that we can be assured of God’s love and forgiveness. We come so that the Holy Spirit will fill our hearts and minds with faith, and the understanding of God’s Word, and the desire to do what pleases the Lord.
That is why we are like John in announcing the Savior to others. John knew how much he needed a Savior. He knew what his Savior would do for him. We have that same appreciation for our Savior. He forgave us all our sins. He gives our lives meaning and purpose. We want other people to have the same appreciation for God’s love and the Savior Jesus as we do. We want others to share in the peace of knowing their sins are forgiven. We want them to enjoy the glory and joy of heaven with us. That is why you invite your friends to come to church with you. That is why you offer to have me visit with them. That is why you give them a copy of Meditations. That is why you invite their children to Sunday School. You want them to love Jesus and to know that Jesus loves them.
In this season of Advent, we have a renewed understanding of our role as children of God living in a spiritually deprived world. We can be like John the Baptist and prepare people to meet their Savior. We want them to meet him and know him as the loving Savior he is, before he comes in all his glory as the judge. Be like John! Denounce sin and announce the Savior from sin. Amen.