John the Baptizer (Part B)

In those days the priesthood was led by's counsel Caiaphas and Annis his father-in-law and others man-made traditions only serve the men who made up the traditions strangled the people. That's why we get to some of the mall Jesus blew the truck unless your righteousness exceeds that of the Pharisees. I mean, he had a right between the eyes. This is cross reference radio with our pastor and teacher Rick Gaston.

Rick is the pastor of Calvary Chapel Mechanicsville. Pastor Rick is currently teaching through the gospel of Mark.

Please stay with us after today's message to hear more information about cross reference radio, specifically how you can get a free copy of this teaching today. Pastor Rick will continue his message called John the baptizer as he teaches in Mark chapter 1 verse five in all the land of Judea, and those from Jerusalem went out to him and were all baptized by him in the Jordan River, confessing their sins came to take their stand with God's view of sinners. That's why they came out. Not all of them there were. In this numbers on the did not believe that were going to stir up trouble will come to some of that moment, but they sided with God. God's opinions and God solutions concerning a fallen man and other rabbinical traditions had largely replaced the Jewish Bible. It was not what Moses said that was moving the leaders in their preaching. It was what the rabbis said that was what was moving the people and the confession of sin was drowned out by ritual. Actually, their rituals began to promote sin, to enable sin. The first sin recorded in Scripture's pride and the Jews became very proud especially the Jerusalem Jews. This became a problem even in the book of acts and and and beyond. Jesus gave this parable similar to men, reverse the appearance of the with the tax collector.

First, a tax collector, he would not even look up to God. Tax collectors of course were viewed as traders as lowlifes, people not worthy of forgiveness in the Jewish mind at the time. And Jesus said the tax collector when you look up to heaven, but asked God to forgive and resource same of himself that he was a tax collector, but that he was a sinner but before and Jesus talked about the Pharisee, the religious man, the pastor Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself because he wasn't praying to God. He said God I thank you that I'm not like other men. Extortion is unjust, adulterers even this tax collector.

I fast twice a week.

I give ties of all I possess I yada yada yada not only went Christ said that one didn't go. He did not leave their justified the tax collector did you see rabbinical Judaism did this it did it did to make you do the ritual you took care of the little good in your better than the guy who did not do the ritual as good as you did.

We have all versions of it in Christianity. Although you don't speak in tongues look nonblocking tongues is mocking those who use it as a tool to justify their behavior and condemning others not being as spiritual as them is serious business, because it turns people off to the truth for me when I look at folks like that.

That's what it means to be a Christian on my part of I believe in speaking in tongues. I believe in it and order in the church and when that just when that order is turned into disorder. There is nothing attractive about it doesn't make any sense to me. Why would I follow a God that did not make that that contradicted logic, Christ is not do that we may become perplexed, but we are not in the state of contradiction is is a great difference, now I gotta do a sermon on second renting to clean that up but I speak as though you understand enough of the Bible to follow what I am saying that there are things that can put replace righteousness in the name of religion and they bring death and the Pharisees and the Sadducees, they were hurting the people and that's why John's message was so attractive those coming out into the wilderness and so helping John's decision to preach in the wilderness were these priests and rabbis in the Sadducees and the Herodian's and the zealots instead of a prophet in the wilderness they wanted to live the life of of luxury and the high priest, especially, and there were more than one of them in the upper echelons of Judaism.

They were corrupt the Jeremias. It was in the same spot Jeremiah was a priest.

We never read about them serving in the temple read about him saying to the Jews mocking, not the temple but the attitude of the temple, like I just attempted to do with the attitude wrong attitude of tongs.

Jeremiah said the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord, the he was saying you think you can hide behind the temple of God.

What you trample his word and get away with it all the beat Jeremiah threatened his life.

They almost killed him. At one point in the end he possibly ends up being captive and that's it. We hear of him being kidnapped.

These men, they were sent by God to uphold the word of God and not to play games with religion and John the Baptist knew firsthand the hypocrisy of the of the Pharisees. He knew about the skepticism of the Sadducees and skepticism to the point of unbelief and refusal to receive God's word.

He saw the materialism and the opportunistic lifestyle of the Herodian's that stripped from the people, whatever it could get it. So the fanatical zealots that use nationalism as a veil for serving Yahweh when really they weren't even listening to what God had to say of our God ended up using them in his own way. Also in Galatians in chapter 1 that is a battleground letter that Galatian letter.

You know those beautiful verses where a fire or an angel or anyone else comes breaches any other gospel.

Let them be accursed. And Paul is dealing with Judy Iser's which were the Jews that claim Christ as Messiah was still insisted you follow Moses law and Paul did great battle with these disease with these people because he said that is not the gospel, and if you keep that up, you will kill the gospel in the gospel was almost destroyed and so Peter had was confronted Peter and Barnabas were confronted by Paul who may trade that that that was not going to be the case this Christianity would die right there. Had Paul not had the guts to stand up to Peter and Barnabas and tell them that they were wrong. You guys online eating with the Gentiles. When the Jews on around you show up and then all of a sudden you don't want everything to the Gentiles is not love. This is not anti-Semitism.

This is the word of God for Jew and Gentile alike. And so when he writes in Corinthians chapter 1 he says, for you have heard, I'm going to take the old king Jim James version because the word translated to make my point and then I'll give the Greek word, he says, for ye have heard of my conversion in time past in the Jews religion see the cable. The Greek word he uses is Judaism, and most translations modern translations a pick that up in there. Now using that they translated Judaism what their old King James says the Jews religion. That is what it was is not an insult. It is a fact. So Paul says you ever heard about me and the Jews religion because it was rabbinical Judaism. It was not the moles from the law of Moses.

Paul does not say you heard about me in times past, concerning the law of the prophets and Moses know know he doesn't say that. And so this ministry of John in the face of rabbinical Judaism was attractive. Verse five. Again, that all the land of Judea, and those from Jerusalem went out to him and were all baptized by him. They went out to Judah to to John they heard of his messages. He did not go to the people. The people came to him significant how meaningful that is.

And they came in vast crowds to hear John preach what he had to say. Matthew 11 verse nine, Jesus asked his question about John, what did you go out to see a prophet. Yes and I say to you, more than a prophet. He preached with his voice in the wilderness reach to Jerusalem and all the regions around Jerusalem without programs and without music postings could come later, but the essentials with the essentials main things were the main things he preach the word of God, and it was a convicted message not only attractive, but it convicted people and so we read here in verse five, confessing their sins. So it wasn't a happy little sermon that God loves you and it doesn't matter how you live. Just confess him as Savior and you do anything you want to do that was not his message.

His message was, yeah, your sin, and God does love you and it is an invincible love. There's no love like this love of Christ.

So much so he dies on the cross for you. Peter didn't know what to do with Jesus Christ when he saw his power. Peter asked the Lord to leave him alone is not worthy depart from me, thank God it's not the style of Christ to say okay no. He brought Peter in even closer. His message not only attractive convective invective.

G. Campbell Morgan is the one that put that combination together. He was right on and I don't know. I read it back in the 80s and it stuck with me ever since is so accurate it doesn't need improvement. He did not appease the guilty if you were impenitent let you know your road. The road ahead of you is destructive. For example, when the Pharisees came out, the religious leaders came out to hear John preach Matthew chapter 3 verse seven, but when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, brood of vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come. Know any people over the years of try to get me to tone it down.

Don't take on that group leader expected to get saved by hearing the word of God for them by hearing, hearing the word of God not burying the word of God. I want to be seeker friendly. Make sure they feel good about themselves. When you leave Johnson I want you to feel really bad about your sin so that we can deal with it and then times are best with Peter priest at times of refreshing my come repent and be baptized, that times of refreshing my gum was still preach that you know if if I were talking I'm doing all this very angry when I put that sweet boys on it and it just comes to life and I know I wonder what John know I can imitate a metal speak Hebrew but otherwise I would. Well anyway, in those days were going to get that next paragraph next session. In those days and days. They were unlike any other. But in those days the priesthood was led by scoundrels like Caiaphas and Annis his father-in-law and others man-made traditions only serve the men who made up the traditions he strangled the people. That's why we get the sermon the Mount, Jesus blew the truck. Don't let it unless your righteousness exceeds that of the Pharisees. I mean, he had a right between the eyes.

Matthew chapter Mark chapter 7 Z's job spare much of the verse because he says these people draw near me with their hearts and on with their mouths honor me with their lips, but their heart is far from me for laying aside the commandment of God, you hold the tradition of men, the washing of pictures and cups in many such things you do that many such things as a list too long to itemize and by the time you know the mission of the Talmud. These these Jewish writings are just packed on the people burden at the burden after burden. Peter even sincere. Peter and James that you know our fathers with their pinky could lift up the salon. You know, just does not put these burdens on the Gentiles, and when they came out and he said okay we just asked the judge of the Gentile church that you abstain from things strangled, that you don't need blood to sexual immorality that was not legalist. They were saying listen your Jewish brothers. They think they need to adjust to this if you just take this a little bit more slowly than what you think of you just go marching into the church is going to be a cultural war between the Jewish believers in the Gentile believers, and so the church said, listen we need this to be understood and they got it they did understand they comply they submitted to their leaders because it was right in the church survive and again to this day the rabbinical tradition silences their own Bible.

They don't listen to Moses they listen to their rabbis and you look at Judaism in various forms of Judaism today and you shake your head and say what is that even mean the many of them don't know you know more Bible characters and they know many of them some of them don't even know the names they have come from the Bible. It's that bad. Well we go on I mean just look at look at Tel Aviv. Tel Aviv is one of the most supportive places of homosexuality that they ever read about Solomon: I mean who didn't know, because the Bible does mean anything and yet you go to Burger King, there is a kosher line and is a nonkosher line you can get a milkshake and a burger on the coastline, which you can on the Gentile side edges as many such things. It is that they do to this day there are a few rabbis, though, that are beginning to go through their Old Testament verse by verse that's going to lead to good things. Well anyway he continues here. All were baptizing him in the Jordan, now the Jordan is a river. Of course, and if it's immersion otherwise they could've used a couple more pictures something like that. It's emerged immersing the soul of a person is not well or can't get to water then you can certainly take up other symbols but the ideal if you want to stay close to the ideal it. It is immersion. Immersion emerging someone. Are you got it.

And in this a little fun holding a person on the water until you get confessions. I tell John that since it was waterboarding try K stop so the of course the baptism is that outward expression of what's going on in the inside it's a sermon we get every Christian gets when the Christian ideally speaking is getting baptized in public. There saying I side with Christ against my sin and he now sides with me in Christ and you know you know you to prove this. Just go downtown. Saudi Arabia somewhere and get baptized in Jesus name and see if you make it out of the water alive because the symbols are real and Satan knows that we should know what to confessing their sins. That verbal admission of guilt. Romans 10 verses nine and 10 if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved because there liberal theology that has crept into Christianity, and is almost golf. Of course the tax the miracles it attacks the virgin birth, it attacks the resurrection of Christ and even though the Bible clearly preaches that they are wrong. Well, it's one thing to be a false prophet. It's another thing to be an advocate of a false prophet, he continues here in Romans 10 he says, for with the heart one believes unto righteousness and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. We are all sinners. By practice and by nature fact were sinners first by nature. That's why we sin by practice, we sin because we are sinners and Romans again chapter 3 verse 23 for all of send and fall short of the glory of God's comprehensive all have sinned. Notice the difference in that room in verse all have sinned.

That's past tense and falling short of the and and fall short present tense of the glory of God.

Verse six now now John was clothed with camel's hair, and with a leather belt around his waist and he ate locusts and wild honey.

His chosen attire reminded everyone of Elijah the garb of a prophet, a great prophet. Luke's gospel chapter 1 verse 17 is a prophecy concerning John the Baptist before his birth.

He will also go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just to make ready a people prepared for the Lord and that's what we've been discussing John the baptizer was doing these things with more than water. And this, in contrast, is garb of a prophet of of Elijah to the robes of such men as Caiaphas with their corruption of Mark chapter 8 verse 31 and he began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, there is a rebuke on the rabbinical Judaism that had taken over and it started out well. Rabbinical Judaism rabbis, the teachers, men such as Ezra wanted the people to learn but then exist like in Eden with Eve learning became the goal, not God. And that's when the problems happen. That's why so many universities are corrupters or it won't go down the trail which is going to keep focused right here, and he ate locusts and wild honey why the combination because a spoonful of honey helps the locus go down let's that's singing altogether. I mean, you know this people Ori can find a reason not to attend a church they don't like the pastor rest never happened here, of course, but this would be a good one.

No one on the going back there why he's locus has a say cornflakes.

Anyway, back to this he could've lived off the temple think of is to serve the temple and had lamb and oxen and other things but Ray rather eat locus in the wilderness then be associated with a corrupted priesthood verse seven and he preached saying there comes one after meals mightier than I sandal strap. I am not worthy to stoop down and when you say that every Christian loves this verse, the loosening of the sandal that was a slave's work John is saying I'm not worthy to be his slave and John new is calling us as we mentioned earlier, he knew he was the voice and here he is announcing this mighty one, and John himself was mighty. Here's the mighty John, who made Herod tremble the Pharisees.

He called him a brood of vipers and then touch him.

They wanted him dead. They wanted him beheaded because he was a mighty man of God and yet this mighty man sisters one mightier than I and I'm not worthy to stoop down and loose his sandals I am not worthy to dare to touch him and compared to the one coming. He was nothing, and he had no problem preaching that I think it's a very beautiful section of Scripture that all of us want to reproduce in our own lives.

John was a mere man.

Jesus was infinitely more self existent God the son. John was the voice in Jesus is the word John called for repentance and Jesus demanded rebirth went beyond repentance. John was a messenger in Jesus as Messiah and all the attention that Messiah deserves especially that comes out of the mouth of prophets like Micah and especially Isaiah. John's father Zacharias was priest in the temple with the father of Jesus Christ.

Of course, is Almighty God the father. So we agree we are not worthy to even be a slave of Christ and yet he calls us more than slaves he calls his family and that runs pretty deep. Verse eight I indeed baptize you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit. A lot of churches are afraid of the Holy Spirit because of abuses that does not justify it, though, must strike the balance. This is another problem. It's the coming of the Spirit of God on the individual he will baptize you.

He will immerse you in the Holy Spirit is John baptize with water that was as far as he could go repentance.

He could not get you to the throne room of God that required someone greater than him whom he is talking about here and he is saying Christ is superior messenger was not as important as the one he preached, and to prove that this messenger died preaching this message for the king.

He delivered that message and is in glory.

At this moment. So because of the John the Baptist quote when John saw Jesus and one point saw him several times and this point in John chapter 3 John saw Jesus coming toward him said, behold the Lamb of God takes away the sin of the world.

He must increase, I must decrease. Thanks for tuning in to cross reference radio for this study in the book of Mark cross reference radio is the teaching ministry of pastor Rick Gaston of Calvary Chapel Mechanicsville in Virginia to learn more information about this ministry. Visit our website cross reference radio.com once you're there you'll find additional teachings from Pastor Rick. We encourage you to subscribe to our podcast. When you subscribe will be notified of each new edition of cross reference radio you could search for cross reference radio on your favorite podcast app that's all we have time for today, but we hope you'll join us next time. As Pastor Rick continues to teach through the book of Mark Reiki on cross reference radio