Never Give Up Hope in God

 Temple Baptist Church - 3-15-2026

Psalm 43

 

Introduction:

A.  Psalm 43 seems to be a continuation of Psalm 42 that I titled “A Disquieted Soul”.  As Psalms 22 (The Cross of Christ), 23 (The Care of the Shepherd), and 24 (The Coming of the King) compose a trilogy, Psalms 42 and 43 comprise a duo. 

 

1.  Disquieted defined: to take away the peace or tranquility, to make uneasy, to make anxious, to make fretful, to make restless. 

 

2.  Synonyms: perturbed, agitated, upset, disturbed, unnerved, unsettled, discomposed, disconcerted, ruffled, startled, worried, troubled, bothered, concerned, distressed, alarmed, appalled, frightened, panicked, vexed.

 

3.  Have I rung your bell yet?  Everyone here tonight has suffered from a disquieted soul!

 

4.  Twice, in Psalm 42:5,11, the Psalmist asks, “Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted in me? hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him for the help of his countenance.”  In verse 6, he continued with “O my God, my soul is cast down within me.”

 

5.  Psalm 42:11 is the last verse of the Psalm, and, evidently, the disquieted soul was still disquieted!

 

6.  Psalm 43 ends the same way with the same verse!  Psalms 43:5  Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted within me? hope in God: for I shall yet praise him, who is the health of my countenance, and my God.

 

7.  Why the continuation?  Because we, as the Israelites, are often prone to continuing despite previous exhortation. 

 

B.  This tells me that there is no easy fix for a disquieted soul!  If this is so, then the only way we are going to get victory is by putting our hope in God and putting our noses to the Bible!

 

1.  So many of God’s people live non-victorious lives.  The victory has already been won, and the battle is the Lord’s.

 

2.  So many of God’s people never open the Bible except on church days, and, once the text is read for the message, they either close of never glance at the Bible again. 

 

3.  So many of God’s children hope in the world more than in the Lord.

 

C.  The obvious reason for this ongoing disquiet of soul is found in verse one of Psalm 43.

 

Psalms 43:1  Judge me, O God, and plead my cause against an ungodly nation: O deliver me from the deceitful and unjust man.

 

1.  This present evil world is not going away!  If we think the world is going to improve, we fool ourselves.  It will wax worse and worse.

 

2.  The ungodly will not be godly and leave us alone!  The godly have always been and always will be persecuted by those who are ungodly and God rejectors.

 

3.  And there is little justice in this world!  Not everything will work out either right or to the advantage of the godly.

 

D.  In this short Psalm, we find the prescription: the road from complaint to confidence.  From fear to victory.  From a disquieted heart to a merry and rejoicing one.

 

E.  Still disquieted?  Get on the road!

 

1.  Verses 1-2.  Judge me, O God, before you judge them!  Then, if I am right, judge them. 

 

a.  A cry for vindication, not revenge.  Vengeance belongs to the Lord, but so does righteous judgment.  “I don’t get mad, I get even,” is a saying that most of us have heard.  We are neither to get mad nor get even.

 

b.  Put the wickedness of false accusation, slander, and injustice into God’s hands.  In both Psalm 42 and 43 say, “Hope in God!”

 

c.  The Lord is our strength.  He is our sufficiency.  He is our Saviour.  If He is these things, and He is, then why do I feel like I have been cast away?  The problem is ours, not His!  We can do all things through Christ!  God will not cast us away. 

 

2.  Verse 3.  Three Requests.

 

a.  Light for Guidance. Psalms 119:105  Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.

 

b.  Truth for Protection.  John 8:32  And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.

 

c.  Assembly for Exhortation. Hebrews 10:23-25  Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;)  (24)  And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works:  (25)  Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.

 

3.  Verse 4.  The Value of Worship.  One of my favorite passages of Scripture teaches us this truth.

 

a.  A thirsting for God.  Psalms 42:1-2  To the chief Musician, Maschil, for the sons of Korah. As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God.  (2)  My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God: when shall I come and appear before God?

 

b.  A Desire for Church.  Psalms 27:1-4  A Psalm of David. The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?  (2)  When the wicked, even mine enemies and my foes, came upon me to eat up my flesh, they stumbled and fell.  (3)  Though an host should encamp against me, my heart shall not fear: though war should rise against me, in this will I be confident.  (4)  One thing have I desired of the LORD, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD, and to enquire in his temple.

 

4.  Verse 5.  David found A Renewed Faith.

 

1.  He once again found his hope in God!  Our faith in God will sustain us when our heart is disquieted. 

 

2.  He resolved to praise God in all his circumstances.  “In everything give thanks!”

 

Conclusion:  Do not allow the temporal things of life to overshadow the eternal things of eternity.

The Expectancy of our Faith

 Temple Baptist Church - 11-17-2024

Psalm 23:6

 

Introduction: 

 

A.  Tonight, I will end our look at the 23^rd Psalm.  This Psalm can be preached word by word as I find at least thirty complete messages here.  What a wonderful story of the life of a believer, the soon to be King David, King of Israel and the establishment of an eternal Throne on which Christ will one day sit.

 

B.  As with any good biography, in spite of all David’s faults and failures during his life, all is well that ends well.  At the beginning of salvation, God intends to lead, feed, and restore throughout our lives.

 

C.  At the end of our physical life, God intends to walk the Valley of Death with us so that we will fear no evil.

 

D.  During our physical life, God wants to do things to us, with us, and through us as He uses the rod, staff, and table to correct, comfort, and communicate with us.

 

E.  Tonight, I want to look at verse six.  We find here the Promise of our Earthly Existence and our Eternal Existence.  God has give two wonderful promises to those who know the Lord in salvation, allow Him to lead/feed/restore us and then allow Him to have an intimate part of our life between salvation and the Valley of Death.

 

F.  Let us look at the breakdown of verse 6:  “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life (Temporal life): and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever. (Eternal life)”

 

1.  Our guarantee from the LORD:  “Surely” is not a question, it is a promise.  God always keeps His promises!

 

2 Corinthians 1:18-20  But as God is true, our word toward you was not yea and nay.  (19)  For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who was preached among you by us, even by me and Silvanus and Timotheus, was not yea and nay, but in him was yea.  (20)  For all the promises of God in him are yea, and in him Amen, unto the glory of God by us.

 

a.  Verse 6 is a promise of happiness and hope to the child of God.  There are words in the Bible that are used in diverse ways but mean the same thing and “surely” is one of them.  The sister words for “surely” are “verily” and “truly” or “Amen” (let it be so).

 

Verily - Of Hebrew origin [H543]; properly firm, that is, (figuratively) trustworthy; adverbially surely (often as interjection so be it): - amen, verily.

 

b.  This promise is also unconditional.  No conditions are stated here.  God is a good God and intends to take care of His children in this life.

 

2.  Temporary Life.  “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life” is the earthly extent of His promise.  I do not know what will transpire between now and the end of my life, but I promise to carry this promise of God to the grave!  In the New Testament, our Lord said that He would not leave nor forsake us which is also unconditional.

 

a.  All the days of our lives, the LORD fills with “goodness.”  Moses asked to see God’s glory and God shared “all my goodness” with him.

 

Exodus 33:18-19  And he said, I beseech thee, shew me thy glory.  (19)  And he said, I will make all my goodness pass before thee, and I will proclaim the name of the LORD before thee; and will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will shew mercy on whom I will shew mercy.

 

Exodus 34:5-7  And the LORD descended in the cloud, and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of the LORD.  (6)  And the LORD passed by before him, and proclaimed, The LORD, The LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth,  (7)  Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty; visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children's children, unto the third and to the fourth generation.

 

b.  There are so many areas of God’s glorious goodness that Moses saw in the above disclosure: mercy, graciousness, longsuffering, goodness, truth.

 

c.  “Follow me” shows us that where we go, goodness and mercy go with us.  I look back over life after salvation and I can say that God has been so good to Barbara and me.

 

d.  In the Sermon on the Mount, our Lord made this promise.

 

Matthew 6:25-34  Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?  (26)  Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?  (27)  Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature?  (28)  And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin:  (29)  And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.  (30)  Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?  (31)  Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?  (32)  (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.  (33)  But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.  (34)  Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.

 

d.  I do not know how long “all the days of my life” is going to be but I know that He will always be better to me than I am to Him.

 

2 Peter 1:2-3  Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord,  (3)  According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue:

 

3.  Eternal Life.  “And I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.”  The promise of the Father’s house. 

 

John 14:1-4  Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.  (2)  In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.  (3)  And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.  (4)  And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know.

 

1 Corinthians 2:9  But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.

 

Revelation 21:1-7  And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.  (2)  And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.  (3)  And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.  (4)  And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.  (5)  And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful.  (6)  And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely.  (7)  He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son.

 

These verses are followed by a description of the New Jerusalem where we will eternally dwell and, in chapter 22, we find these words.

 

Revelation 22:1-5  And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb.  (2)  In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.  (3)  And there shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and his servants shall serve him:  (4)  And they shall see his face; and his name shall be in their foreheads.  (5)  And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever.

 

Heaven: a place of peace, perfection, and promise!

When God’s People Say, ‘There is no hope!’

 Temple Baptist Church - 7-3-2022

Jeremiah 18:1-12

 

Introduction: 

 

A. Jeremiah prophesied during the reign of Josiah some 50 years before the Babylonish Captivity of 587 BC.  Revival permeated the land under Josiah but began to decline in his later years.  Israel fell into apostasy not long after his death.

 

B.  The story of the Potter’s house had to do with God’s love of and intent for the nation of Israel. 

 

1.  The Potter, a type of the Lord, desired to mold Israel in His hand, but Israel—the clay—became marred in His hand. 

 

2.  The marring was not the fault of the Potter, but a flaw in the clay!  This marring speaks of Israel’s sinfulness and subsequent captivity of 70 years in Babylon.

 

3.  The remaking of the clay (He did not throw it away) was the prophesied restoration of Israel to the Land after the Babylonish Captivity.

 

C.  In verse 12, as Jeremiah pronounced the impending doom of Israel, instead of getting right with the Lord and attempting to turn that great nation, the people said, “There is no hope!”

 

1.  Israel’s Hopelessness - They Gave Up!

 

2.  Israel’s Sinfulness – They Gave Over!

 

3.  Israel’s Judgment – They Paid The Price!

 

D.  As Israel belonged to the Lord, America was once His!  America, the land that we love, will be 246 years old tomorrow.  “The Great Experiment” was a name given to her at her inception.  The question asked, “Can a people rule themselves?”

 

E.  America was the first Republic in history!  Never had such a thing been tried.  Notice republic, not democracy. 

 

Republic – a state in which supreme power is held by the people and their elected representatives, and which has an elected or nominated president rather than a monarch.  A government in which supreme power resides in a body of citizens entitled to vote and is exercised by elected officers and representatives responsible to them and governing according to law.

F.  Has the Great Experiment failed?  That question remains to be answered but our nation is in serious decline this morning.  In 246 short years, our nation has turned from God to sin; from self-rule to rule by government; from capitalism to socialism, from rule by the people and for the people to corruption in government, from prosperity to debt, from the thrill of liberty to the drudgery of bondage, from the pursuit of happiness to pit of despair. 

 

G.  The question now is: “Is there hope for America?”  America’s hope lies in God’s people!  When God’s people give up, America is gone!

 

H.  God pronounced in the Bible:

 

Psalms 33:12  Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD; and the people whom he hath chosen for his own inheritance.

 

1.  America’s Motto, “In God We Trust.”

 

2.  America’s Foundation – Religious Liberty

 

3.  America’s Fathers – Praying Men

 

4.  America’s Faith – God, not Allah or Buddha!

 

5.  America’s Strength – God’s people and local churches.

 

J.  Today, America has now began to come under another scriptural pronouncement:

 

Psalms 9:17  The wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget God.

 

1.  As Israel, Will We Give Up?  Many today preach and live hopelessness!  America is still worth living and fighting for!

 

2.  As Israel, Well God’s People Live In Sinfulness?  “Eat, drink, and be merry” is the watchword.  I cannot make a difference because I am one.  America is a nation made up of individuals and everyone counts.

 

3.  As Israel, Will America Fall?  The answer is an obvious “Yes” if it does not turn around!  If God does not judge America, He will have to apologize to Sodom and Gomorrah!  He will not apologize!

 

K.  Is there hope for America?  Yes, there is hope.  A little disclaimer: I was not and am not a follower of former President Barack Hussain Obama.  But I do want to quote him as not everything that he said was wrong.  He said, “While we breathe, we will hope.”

 

1.  There Is Hope For America As Long As There Is A Promise From God – Psalms 33:12  Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD; and the people whom he hath chosen for his own inheritance.  (If America turns from its sinfulness, God will turn from His promised judgment!  America, as a nation, still has a choice and it is not too late.  When we say, “God’s promises are no longer good,” THERE IS NO HOPE!)

 

2.  There Is Hope For America As Long As There Is A People That Are Saved - 2 Chronicles 7:14  If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.

 

 

Matthew 5:13-16  Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men. 14  Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. 15  Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. 16  Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.  (When we say, “It no longer matters how we represent Christ to our nation,” THERE IS NO HOPE!)

 

3.  There Is Hope For America As Long As There Is A Prayer To Be Prayed – 1 John 5:14-15  And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us: 15  And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.

 

Jeremiah 33:3  Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not.  (It’s never too late until it is over!  I pray for America!  I pray for those in authority over us!  I love this land and would love to see her happy and blessed again!  When we say, “Prayer no longer works,” THERE IS NO HOPE!)

 

4.  There Is Hope For America As Long As There Is A Power To Be Tapped – Genesis 18:14a  Is any thing too hard for the LORD?

 

Job 36:5 Behold, God is mighty, and despiseth not any: he is mighty in strength and wisdom.

 

Jeremiah 32:17  Ah Lord GOD! behold, thou hast made the hea ven and the earth by thy great power and stretched out arm, and there is nothing too hard for thee:  (God can!  Man cannot but God Can!  When we say, “God can’t,” THERE IS NO HOPE!)

 

5.  There Is Hope For America As Long As There Is A Purpose Of Heart – Jeremiah 38:28  So Jeremiah abode in the court of the prison until the day that Jerusalem was taken: and he was there when Jerusalem was taken.  (God’s not done with her yet!  We still have an open door of soul winning and missions.  When God’s done, then America is done.  Not until then!  When we say, “It’s over,” THERE IS NO HOPE!)

The Sufferings Of This Present Time

Temple Baptist Church - 5-27-2018

Romans 8:16-18

Introduction:

A.  Tonight, I will preach on a subject that I am too often not good at living.  Suffering is a way of life!  “When you know that life is hard, you can make it!”  I am not a fan of suffering and I want to say this right, but neither was our Lord in His humanity. 

Matthew 26:37-39  And he took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be sorrowful and very heavy.  (38)  Then saith he unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death: tarry ye here, and watch with me.  (39)  And he went a little further, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt.

B.  The question will be asked, “Then why the Lord allows suffering?”  Because of sin!  Jesus suffered in this life because of His great love for sinners.

C.  In this life, we will suffer but, in the life to come, there will be a glory revealed in us that will never fade away.

D.  Suffering can bring about good results. 

1 Peter 1:6-9  Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations:  (7)  That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:  (8)  Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory:  (9)  Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls.

1.  Suffering is often a fiery trial that brings about heaviness.  Tonight, I will not minimize our suffering because it can be painful physically and heartbreaking spiritually.  I do not often use the words, “I know how you feel.”  But I can say that God does.

2.  In our suffering, we can become better or we can become bitter.  I try to choose better!  I am not always a “happy camper” as I see the injustice that is in the world, but I do know that God’s grace is sufficient.

3.  Our suffering “might” be found unto “praise and honour and glory” when our Lord comes for His church.  But, the verses say, “Might be found.”  This carries the meaning that it might or it might not.  God wants and expects the former instead of the latter.

E.  Suffering:

1.  Suffering Strengthens our Faith - 1 John 5:4  For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.

2.  Suffering Sharpens our Focus - Hebrews 2:9  But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man.

3.  Suffering Strengthens  our Finish - Philippians 1:20-21  According to my earnest expectation and my hope, that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but that with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether it be by life, or by death.  (21)  For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.

F.  There are blessings that can only come through our sufferings.

1.  Sufferings Bring Glory To God - 1 Peter 1:7  That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:

2.  Sufferings Introduce Us To God’s Sufficient Grace - 2 Corinthians 12:9  And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

3.  Sufferings Bring About Closeness In Fellowship - 1 Corinthians 12:26  And whether one member suffer, all the members suffer with it; or one member be honoured, all the members rejoice with it.

4.  Sufferings Bring God’s Comfort - 2 Corinthians 1:5  For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also aboundeth by Christ.

5.  Sufferings Purify Our Lives - 1 Peter 4:1  Forasmuch then as Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise with the same mind: for he that hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased from sin;

6.  Sufferings Produce Patience - Romans 5:3  And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience;

7.  Sufferings Strengthen Our Faith - 1 Peter 4:19  Wherefore let them that suffer according to the will of God commit the keeping of their souls to him in well doing, as unto a faithful Creator.

8.  Sufferings Produce Stability - 1 Peter 5:10  But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you.

John The Baptist Walked With God In Expectancy

Temple Baptist Church - 8-27-2017

Luke 1:39-45

Introduction:

A.  This morning, I want to look in the New Testament at the last of the Old Testament prophets, John the Baptist.  First, let me set the background for the message.

B.  For 4,000 years, since the first Messianic Promise in Genesis 3:15 until the birth of Christ, the world waited for the promised “Seed of the Woman.” 

C.  For 400 years between Malachi’s prophecy and the beginning of the New Testament, God spoke not one word!  These have been called the “400 Silent years.” 

1.  As the Old Testament prophecy came to an end, hope declined and religion took its place.   Now they had both the temple and synagogues. 

2.  They had priests as well as Pharisees and Sadducees.  Israel went from the purity of an inward righteousness to the impurity of an outward righteousness. 

D.  At the time of our Lord’s birth, Israel and the world sat in spiritual darkness and bondage to Rome.  Few looked for the long-promised Messiah and his birth was shrouded in obscurity.

Matthew 4:16  The people which sat in darkness saw great light; and to them which sat in the region and shadow of death light is sprung up.

E.  In fulfillment Isaiah 40:3, Zacharias and Elisabeth begat a son whom God named John. 

Matthew 3:3  For this is he that was spoken of by the prophet Esaias, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.

F.  John the Baptist was a second cousin to our Lord Jesus Christ and six months older.  John and the Lord Jesus grew up together.  He grew up with the Lord and knew not that it was Him that was promised.

G.  There are many similarities between the first and second comings of our Lord.  There are also many similarities between the forerunner, John the Baptist, and the church.

1.  John Was Great Because He Was A Chosen Man - John 1:6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. (To be commissioned for a special task or mission.  We are a chosen generation.)

2.  John Was Great Because He Was A Godly Man - Luke 1:15 For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink; and he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother’s womb. (John lived a clean life for the Lord.  We are to live a clean life for the Lord.)

3.  John Was Great Because He Was A Burning Man - John 5:35 He was a burning and a shining light: and ye were willing for a season to rejoice in his light. (Before John could shine for God, first, he had to burn for God. He was willing to put all his energy into the work of God.  We are to shine for God as the light of the world.)

4.  John Was Great Because He Was A Preaching Man - Matthew 3:1-2 In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judaea,  And saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. (John preached the way of salvation and the coming of the Messiah.  We preach the way of salvation and the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.)

5.  John Was Great Because He Was A Humble Man - John 3:30 He must increase, but I must decrease.  (John knew that he was not there to place himself on a pedestal but to glorify and point people to Christ.  We that are saved are to glorify Christ and point sinners to Him.)

6.  John Was Great Because He Was Just A Man - Luke 7:19  And John calling unto him two of his disciples sent them to Jesus, saying, Art thou he that should come? or look we for another?

1.  As John the Baptist walked with God in expectancy, he was “the voice of one.”

a.  Not “a” voice but “the” voice.  There were many voices of religion in John’s day but only one voice of salvation.  Thus, it is with our day. 

b.  Many religions and denominations clamor for the attention of the world, causing much spiritual confusion.  Their “voice” is always the Bible plus or minus something.  These make the Bible adapt to their doctrines instead of adapting their doctrines to the Bible.  God has always had one voice and one way of righteousness, God’s Word.

c.  Today’s religion attacks the Word of God by reducing it to a manmade version instead of a God made Bible!

2.  As John the Baptist walked with God in expectancy, he cried aloud in a world that was a spiritual “wilderness.”

a.  Crying means to proclaim loudly.  John the Baptist was a prophet and a preacher.  Until the day of our Lord’s public appearance, John continue to be the voice of righteousness crying in the spiritual wilderness of this world.

b.  We who are expecting the soon return of our Lord are to be crying aloud in the sinful wilderness that we live in.  How shall they hear without a preacher and that preacher is you; that preacher is me.

c.  As in Noah’s day, they may not listen but they will know who we are and what we preach.

3.  As John the Baptist walked with God in expectancy, he “prepared the way of the Lord.”

a.  John the Baptist was the plowman.  He prepared the ground for the seed to be planted.  That preparation is repentance of sin.  First, it takes a recognition of what sin is and a godly sorrow for that sin.

b.  John the Baptist was the sower as he prophesied of the Lord’s coming and point the people to “the Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world.”

c. We who expect the Lord to come need to continue to preach and stand against sinfulness, preach and teach repentance, and point the world to Christ.  We must decrease while our Lord Jesus Christ increases.

Conclusion:  We are to occupy until He comes.  We look for Him expectantly as His coming is imminent. 

Titus 2:11-14  For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men,  (12)  Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world;  (13)  Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;  (14)  Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.