claiming, or heralding; a. the coming King- dom; b. the coming King; c. the coming baptism, oi the Holy Spirit; d. the coming judgment of winnowing and fire. (2) Evan- gelizing, or telling the Gospel, that, a. a Saviour has come, b. Jesus is He, the Lamb of God, c. sin is put away, d. forgiveness, remission, is granted. (3) Exhorting, to, a. repentance; b. confession; c. baptism; d. godly conduct ;e. fleeing the wrath to come. 2. Voicing. "The voice of one crying in the Wilderness." John's coming was foretold by Malachi (3:1), and his preaching by Isaiah (40:3, 5). There is nothing here of the per- sonality of the preacher; it is the "voice" in the Wilderness, the message, not the messenger. "Who, then, is Paul, and who is Apol los but ministers' (serving ones), "so then neither is he that planteth any- thing, neither he that watereth, but God" (1 Cop. 3:5-7). Let teachers, lost in their message, be, like him who said, "I am the voice of one (of whom?) crying in the Wilderness.". Looking on the prospect, and the provision of this world with the nat- ural eye it is more of a Paradise than a Wilderness. But looking on it spiritually and with a spiritual eye, it is just such a wilder- ness "under the sun" as the writer of Ec- clesiastes described "vanity of vanities." Unless one realizes this, he will not have the Baptist's zeal nor the Baptist's' power. He desires not the Paradise of God to whom this world is "a good enough heaven," no hairy garment and leathern girdle, no suf- ficiency, in locust, and wild honey for him! He wants the nectar and ambrosia of this world, and loathes the "light breal" of the celestial world too much to exhort others to buy its "milk and honey" (Num. 21:5; Isa. 55:1). V. THE SUBJECTS OF HIS MINISTRY. "Multitudes," "of Judea," "Jerusalem," "the region round about Jordan;" "Phar- isees," "Sadduces," "publicans," "soldiers," "priests and Levites" (see the four Gospels). Was not that a congregation? High and low, rich and poor, good and bad; an ideal audience for the Evangelist, aye, and the pastor. • VI. THE STYLE OF HIS MINISTRY. It was, (1) Sensational; John was a sen- sational preacher; so he stirred the whole country and drew the congregations as not- ed; (2) but his was scriptural sensational- ism; he did not publish his photographic posings; he did not advertise the great this, and the noted that; he did not ingen- iously contrive cute, curious, and queer topics in the text, and out of it; but he han- dled the' sword of the Spirit with mighty power and dextrous skill, piercing the joints of the armor of the most wily and wary consciences; he called men and sins by their right names ("Ye offspring of vipers," "ex- tortionists"), and preached of the axe at the root of the tree, where the hewer : had left it while he rolled up his sleeves for his work of wrath, and judgment, and fire to come. But John (3) when the wounded fell about him; when under his broadsides their Ships were sinking, and the cry for mercy -rose, he. sent but the Bed Cross, the balm and the bandage; then he launched the lifeboat-, and gathered "whosoever" would into the old ship Zion. VII. THE TOPICS OF HIS MINISTRY. 1. "Repent," was a main theme. Literally "change your mind" and, logically, "change your manners" and, spiritually, "change your master, and, Ultimately, change your destnations. 2. Be baptized. Confess your sins, and wash them away symbolically, and
they shall be washed away, (a) imputation- ally by the blood typical, flowing from Is- rael's altars, and by by virtue of the -blood antitypical soon to flow from the veins of the Lamb of God; (b) ceremonially, with the ; water typical, flowing through the channel of the Jordan, and soon with the Water antitypical : by the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven. 3. Bring : forth. fruit. worthy of your repentance and profession,' "Quit your meanness.'.' Rob nobody; h a r m: no- body; be content with where God puts.you, and with what God .gives you. And .do not imagine that God has . any favorites ; only men of faith are sons of Abraham ; and God can make these out . of hearts of stone, but not of hypocrites (Luke 3:8). 4. "Prepare to meet your God." (Am. 4:12), "Get right with God." Clear the way! the King is com- ing. Remove the bartiers that you may get to Him, and* that He may come, to you. He is coming; He is at hand, to "gather His wheat Into His garner, and to burn the chaff with unquenchable fire," if you do not burn it first. "Behold, the Lamb of, God that tak'eth away the sin of the world" (Jno. Lesson VIII. February 25. " THE BAPTISM AND TEMPTATION OF JESUS, Mark 1:9-13; Matit. 4:1-11. I. THE BAPTISM WITH ¡WATER- 1. The time. "In those days," viz: when John preached (see Luke 3:1). 2. "Jesus came." "From" Nazareth. For 30 years He had been in obscurity. It was a long period of preparation for a brief, service. A long training; a short fight; and a great victory. The most of life is in getting ready to live. 3. The ceremony. (1) John's hu- mility. "I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me!" John was "great" (Luke 1:15). Truly great men, at least great "in the sight of the Lord," are truly humble. (2) Jesus' insistence. "Suf- fer it to be so." Even the King honors God s ambassador, and the highest is low in the presence of the prophet. (3) "To fulfill all righteousness." This answers Why was Jesus baptized?" a. Thp God of Israel commanded all Israelites to receive John's baptism, and Jesus obeyed, as He did in circumcision, though with Him there was no "putting off the body of the sins of flesh" (Col. 2:11); nor "of the filth of the flesh" (1 Pet. 3:21). b. Jesus was, representatively, "numbered with the transgressors" (Isa. 53:12), "and being found in fashion as a man He became obedient unto death" (Phil. 2:8), of which baptism is a type (Rom. 6:4). c. He was so "bap- tized unto Moses" (1 Cor. 10:2) "to fulfill all righteousness (Mosaic law). It was a marvelous' sight—the sinless Holy One of trod 'baptized unto repentance" (Matt. 3-11- Acts 19:4). d. Among the perfections we have in Christ is a perfect repentance, His was ours! II. THE BAPTISM WITH THE SPIRIT. 1. "Straightway." Immediately on the baptism with water. Ideally the twx> bap- tisms are simultaneous. Both arfe' sym- boled in the one. Believers at Samaria re-' ceived the water first (Acts 8:12-17) • those at Cesarea, the Spirit( Acts 10:44-48). The water equals the Word (Eph. 5:26); the wa- ter equals the Spirit (Jno.' .7:38 39) 2 "J 1 !? heavens opened." (1) For the descent of the Dove, the Spirit in visible form the only instance on record. . A Dove. He who quickened the dust (Gen: 2:8) can assume a body at will. A Dove? Jesus in baptism came through the Waters of Noah (1 Pet 3:20, 21). The. Dove, is His assurance that
Made with FlippingBook Annual report