John The Baptist – The Greatest Man

Scripture Reading/Gospel Lesson – Luke 1:68-79

John The Baptist – The Greatest Man

We continue our look at John the Baptist this morning. He is the greatest man who ever lived. In Matthew 11:11, Jesus says, “Assuredly, I say to you, among those born of women there has not risen one greater than John the Baptist.”

But what makes him so great? We will be looking at some of John’s personal characteristics this morning to see what made him so great.

First of all, his ability to overcome his weaknesses.

Many people have trouble in life. Everyone runs into trouble and faces difficult circumstances. Some people give up or succumb to the temptation. However, overcoming those problems is what separates a great person from an indifferent person.

Great people fight through their obstacles in life to do what is right and honorable to God. That sounds like John doesn’t it?

Remember John was filled with the Holy Spirit from birth. He had been set apart and chosen by God to announce the arrival of the Messiah. He saw the Holy Spirit descend upon Jesus at His Baptism. He heard God the Father declare Jesus to be His beloved Son.

Yet, John had doubts about Jesus. Those doubts troubled him. He wanted to know the truth about Jesus. He wasn’t trying to protect his ministry or his popularity. He simply wanted to know the truth.

So he sent some messengers to Jesus to find out the truth. I am sure John would have gone himself, but he was in prison at the time. John overcame his human weakness to seek the truth and when he heard the truth, that Jesus is who He says He is, then John took a back seat in his ministry.

How do you deal with your weaknesses? We all have them. John didn’t ignore them. He confronted them head on. We should do the same. God will give you the strength you need, just ask Him for it.

Second, John held strongly to his convictions.

John also held very strong convictions in his life. John stood up to the Pharisees, the Sadducees, and even to Herod himself, which landed him in prison. He didn’t back down from his beliefs.

In fact, John was so strong in his convictions that some people thought he was the Messiah (Luke 3:15). John was popular and sometimes people compromise to maintain their popularity. But not John.

He had many opportunities to gain the approval of the important figures in society. But rather than compromising with the Pharisees and Sadducees who came to listen and even be baptized by him, John called them a “brood of vipers.”

He confronted their sin and hypocrisy. John knew what was right and wrong. He stood for those things that were right. Again he did this not for himself, but for the glory of God.

How about you? Do you hold to your convictions? Or do you compromise with the world? Do you stand for what is right or do your simply ignore the wrongs of society?

Thirdly, he denied himself.

John’s life could never be described as an easy life. He wore camel hair and a leather belt around his waist. He ate locusts and wild honey. He must have been a pretty rough, tough looking person.

He was an important messenger of God, but he didn’t live like, dress like, or talk like the other religious leaders. He wore practical clothing, but probably not comfortable clothing and defiantly not stylish clothing.

The same holds true for his food. It provided him with the physical nourishment that he needed, but it wouldn’t have been enjoyable like a nice delicious steak or Caesar salad.

The lifestyle John lived was in direct contrast to the religious leaders. They were self-satisfied, self-indulgent, and self-righteous people. John was so consumed with the calling God had placed upon him, that he denied himself and was not attracted to the enticements of the world.

His devotion to his ministry overruled all of his personal comforts and interests. Doesn’t Jesus tell us to do the same? Aren’t we to deny ourselves and follow Him? Now I am not saying we need to live like hermits, misers, or monks, but we do need to focus our life on God.

John was filled with and controlled by the Spirit of God. He was obedient to God’s word. He was self-controlled. He was humble. He courageously and faithfully proclaimed God’s word. He was faithful in leading people to Christ.

What a wonderful example for us to follow today as well. That is a pattern for all those who seek greatness, Godly greatness.

As we know, John’s message was that of repentance. “Repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” This is not just a change of mind, but a radical change of life. Jesus spoke of the same thing.

Repentance means turning from your sin and in faith turning to God for salvation. John taught this and he lived it.

Christmas is only a week and a half away. Are you living the life John lived? Do you overcome your weaknesses? Do you have strong convictions about right and wrong and hold to them? Do you deny yourself for God?

Those are some things to think about as we continue to prepare our lives for not only the celebration of the birth of our Lord, but His return as well.

Closing Prayer

Lord, we thank you for our time in your word this morning. We thank you for giving us an example of faith to follow in John the Baptist. Help us to live as he did.

Strengthen us to overcome our weaknesses and empower us to stand for what is right, true, and honorable in your sight. Most of all help us to deny ourselves and our worldly desires to serve you with our lives.

AMEN