SetApart1

Matthew 3:1 Now in those days John the Baptist *came, preaching in the wilderness of Judea, saying, Mat 3:2 “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” Mat 3:3 For this is the one referred to by Isaiah the prophet when he said, “THE VOICE OF ONE CRYING IN THE WILDERNESS, ‘MAKE READY THE WAY OF THE LORD, MAKE HIS PATHS STRAIGHT!’ ” Mat 3:4 Now John himself had a garment of camel’s hair and a leather belt around his waist; and his food was locusts and wild honey. Mat 3:5 Then Jerusalem was going out to him, and all Judea and all the district around the Jordan; Mat 3:6 and they were being baptized by him in the Jordan River, as they confessed their sins. Mat 3:7 But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming for baptism, he said to them, “You brood of vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Mat 3:8 “Therefore bear fruit in keeping with repentance; Mat 3:9 and do not suppose that you can say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham for our father’; for I say to you that from these stones God is able to raise up children to Abraham. Mat 3:10 “The axe is already laid at the root of the trees; therefore every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Mat 3:11 “As for me, I baptize you with water for repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, and I am not fit to remove His sandals; He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. Mat 3:12 “His winnowing fork is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clear His threshing floor; and He will gather His wheat into the barn, but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”

The last time God spoke to his people was in the book of Malachi 400 years before the book of Matthew. For those 400 years it had been silent in the heavens and it seemed that heaven had close its doors. After those 400 years God breaks his silence. God is now ready to speak again to His people. Who does God use to proclaim this good news of the coming Messiah? Is it a wealthy ruler, or politician. It’s not even a religious leader. No, rather God uses a simple man by the name of John the Baptist.

He is not a great man in the eyes of the world. He does not wear the cool hip clothes of the day. We are told in verse 4 that he wore camels hair and a leather belt around his waist. He didn’t eat fancy meals with well known people. He sat in the desert and ate alone. His diet was a vegetarian diet of locusts and wild honey. His message wasn’t complex or even very pleasing to some it was even offensive. He didn’t care about offending people with the truth. Not like today where people will leave your church if the carpet is not vacuumed. Even the religious leaders could not escape the truth that John spoke. When John would see the Pharisees he would call them “brood of vipers!” Yet this message was effective. Many people were being baptized. Many were turning from their sin. Many began bearing fruits of righteousness. What an awesome work of God. There was no cool bands. No cool buildings with cool lighting. No smoke machines. It was a man moved by the power of God to stand for righteousness and declare the good news of the coming messiah. He was not afraid of losing people to another church. He was not afraid that his tithes would go down. John was bold as a lion declaring the truth to all. His stand for truth led to his head being cut off. He payed the ultimate price as many in the scriptures had before him. He was not ashamed of the gospel. Yet God used this man to prepare the way of the messiah.

As I read about John the Baptist his life really challenged me with some simple questions I must honestly ask myself and I challenge you to ask yourself.

• How am I set apart from the world? What makes me different?
• Am I coward? Am I afraid to speak the truth even though I know it must be spoken? Even though It may cost me, friendships, money, or even my life?
• Am I concerned with my appearance to the world in music, clothes, or material goods?
• What is the message I bring to the world? Is it the truth of the gospel or is it another message of “Christians are cool and you can be cool too?”

Paul summed this up in a great passage of Romans 12

Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, {which is} your spiritual service of worship. Rom 12:2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.

I ask you to truly sincerely between you and God ask these questions. We may need to repent. Some may need to pray for boldness. Whatever it may be lets learn from a man who in his simplicity and love for God was able to pave the way for the greatest man to ever walk the earth.

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