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February 2, 2021 7:05 am
One of the delightful aspects of studying the Bible is coming to know the colorful character bring life and vibrancy the truth that we are often surprised God shows unlikely people to accomplish his divine purposes, but today on Insight for living Chuck Swindoll will introduce us to a man whose singular assignment was very clear, but his odd persona is somewhat surprising if not altogether shocking. This story is recorded for us in Matthew chapter 3 and will begin by reading the passage titled today's message strange creature strong proclamation great hope for you is that you have Jesus. I mean really, really and truly you have, and more importantly that he has you. Could you make it this year that you decide he will have first place. I don't care how bright the future may be, you don't care how involved you are or what it looks like for your company, your your your future just remember these words simple words from yesteryear or just give me Jesus first and foremost first in my decisions. First, in my mornings first through all the trials that will come skip me in my life. The presence and the significance of Jesus Christ. It would be a year like you've never lived before.
I can assure you know your Bible hopefully is open to Matthew chapter 3 where we pick up our subject as we go through this gospel by Matthew who was in his earlier days as an adult, a tax collector who was converted to Jesus. And when you realize the place Jesus was to have in his life. He close the books release the business and became a follower. Ultimately, one of the 12 disciples. Matthew writes to choose mainly but not only that's why so many references are made to sections of Scripture that would be known to the Jew or to references stated by those familiar to those in that day you find Matthew three earlier, I thought I would make it all the way through the chapter and after giving it a two weeks of study.
I'm going to be doing well to get through half the chapter so will go through verse 10, and then will pick up verse 11.
Next time, the version I'm reading from is the new living translation. If you haven't. The Bible simply listen carefully in those days John the Baptist came to the Judean wilderness and began preaching his message was repent of your sins and turn to God for the kingdom of heaven is near the prophet Isaiah was speaking about John when he said he is a voice shouting in the wilderness, prepare the way for the Lord's coming clear the road for him. John's clothes were woven from course camel here and he wore a leather belt around his waist for food.
He ate locusts and wild honey.
People from Jerusalem and from all of Judea and all over the Jordan Valley went out to see and hear John and when they confess their sins he baptize them in the Jordan River, but when he saw many Pharisees and Sadducees coming to watch him baptize. He did announce them. You brood of snakes, he exclaimed, who warned you to flee God's coming wrath proved by the way you live that you have repented of your sins and turn to God. Don't just say to each other were safe, for we are descendents of Abraham. That means nothing brought tell you, God can create children of Abraham from these various stones. Even now, the acts of God's judgment is poised ready to sever the roots of the trees. Yes, every tree that does not produce good fruit will be chopped down and thrown into the fire. Our hope is that the Lord will lift the Sprint from white pages before us and implant on our hearts and understanding of how it applies to the lives we live today for all Scripture was given for our admonition that we through patience and comfort from studying the Scripture might have hope. That's our hope today study the book of Matthew with Chuck Swindoll. Be sure to download is searching the Scripture studies going to Insight world.org/studies. Now, let's resume the message titled strange preacher strong proclamation doing what I do makes me vitally interested in others who do the same. That's not uncommon when you are interested in the world of athletics you find other athletes very interested in that world in that sport. If you're an education you follow, with interest, others who are in the profession of educating other people are fascinated by the those in the military are often in grateful for others who wear the uniform and they understand their world and often make a study of those who have earned the metals that now filled her chest actors or students of fellow actors and others in the performing arts just stands to reason that because you are in a realm of whatever may be your work that you have a keen interest in others the same way. I am a preacher I think of it in the daytime. I dream of it at night.
I work at it. It is my craft. It is my joy and my responsibility therefore.
I'm interested in what makes other preachers affected II.
I'm curious about the different styles of communication, I pay attention to the way other preachers handled the Scriptures and the way they fit those scriptures into the message that God is given. I noticed their ability to connect with the audience and I study them. I read them I have a shelf and 1/2 in my library of nothing but books about preachers or books written on the subject of preaching, and I turned to those books frequently. I found two things true of those who preach number one. Each has a unique gift mix.
Each one has a unique gift mix and no two are alike, you will never find two preachers that are identical above and said God doesn't cookie cut his messengers. Each one of us is a unique individual. Each one has his own voice has his own style his own approach his own way of thinking. I noticed also.
Secondly, that many of us are really unusual creatures.
Maybe strange is a good way to put when I study the preachers of yesteryear, a smile, realizing there aren't many churches today that would ever call that person to come to be their pastor of the church in America that would want Martin Luther to be the preacher, even though we have Myron the things he accomplished the courage he modeled. He himself settled more than one occasion, I never preach better than when I'm angry, so his messages were filled with anger, Melanchthon's longtime companion would try to tone them down and in soften the blow a little but Luther there was no softening of the blow I have for years appreciated the writings of G.
Campbell Morgan new fill the pulpit of Westminster Chapel in London very effectively wrote his books on exposition. Mel was surprised to find just as last week that he smoked his manias ate cigars a day. I would guess that I is matter fact, Spurgeon enjoyed a good cigar and of Methodist minister rebuked him one want to get reprimanded him for smoking and and he said to the minister. If I ever find myself smoking to access. I promise I will quit entirely.
What would you call smoking to access the other minister asked why smoking to cigars at the same time be in excess I was interesting you may not live at that because you may hate cigars that much that you can't even find any humor in that for you. I'm sorry. What's interesting is that Spurgeon had no room in his life for anyone who attended the theater. None that was verboten in an interesting like a good cigar, but he had no room for anyone who would be in the theater. You realize how many those preachers in the day of Lincoln's assassination blame Lincoln for the fact that he was shot because I go to the theater of all thing were strange lot. We preachers, none more strange than John. The baptizer trust me, this church and then either I've ever been in, would ever call John the baptizer to be the pastor you want to God preaching to you in camel's hair with a diet of locusts and wild honey. Probably not enjoy God freezing to you who opens a sermon with you brood of vipers snakes in the grass. This John yet is own way, did me. Why would he do that. Listen carefully because his calling was to be the forerunner of one who was to transform the world and you become a forerunner like capturing the attention of the listener who is steeped in religion had John to give it time to wade through Jerusalem he would run across all kinds of official religious authorities in their robes of righteousness arguing over the length of their phylacteries proud of their voice and their rules and regulations that would put the 10 Commandments to shame may help those rules more tightly than you could imagine. They were the original legalists that was the religion of the day, and most were so turned off by that or intimidated by your that they couldn't imagine the God was approachable and how do you get the attention of those who promote that kind of hypocrisy. You begin by calling them snakes in the grass. You look into the eyes of those hypocrites and you say to them, how do you think you can use these right words when all the while your heart is dark get one of the darkness and there will be room for the light that Jesus whom I'm announcing to bring into your life. I mean it folks of ion. I mean it when I say we have become enamored of our times we we have a very small window of acceptance of the style of ministry that we will listen to the sermon is one thing proud of one's own religion is another and I warn you to guard against the Pharisaism that is in your own life. Let us fight it like the plague must work regularly and faithfully to keep from looking like I'm one way, when in reality I'm another how valuable authenticity is and if nothing else, John the baptizer was authentic. We had nothing to lose. You realize how little he cared what you thought of him in danger what you thought of what he was wearing or what he ate, or where he slept, or how we live. He had one Clear Channel members of the one who called him and listen to this. Jesus said of him what he had said of no one else. No greater person ever Lynn John a repeated no greater person ever lived than John in his day job would be known as John Ben Zechariah, then, is the word for son Zechariah is his father. The Hebrews been John son of Zechariah, he suddenly drops on the scene of Matthew's gospel as if he were a meteorite slicing through the night sky. You see him. He comes suddenly you don't expect it and you watch the flash as it goes by and he's gone beheaded by this godless Herod in a drunken state who out of lust for the one who danced in front of them all over the head of John the baptizer that the ending when a life begins of the wilderness winds up with his head on a platter is a very unusual man, but the Lord knew if I'm going to bring my son to this earth and prepare people for his arrival and his kind of ministry.
I need to get their attention. Indeed he does is he selects the baptizer the words began chapter 3 in a rather innocuous manner. In those days. In those days, ho-hum life as usual. Pharisees still proud of their Pharisaism, Sadducees, and all their wealth and liberalism, still proud of their lifestyle.
All of those who live under the tutelage of rabbis who studied under them and with them imbibing all of that religious garb on what will it take to break through in those days it takes John the baptizer out of nowhere, out of the wilderness look at it in those days. John, the baptizer came to the Judean wilderness began preaching his message, Judean wilderness John was trained before the training began. He was born into the home of a barren, otherwise barren mother whose name is Elizabeth getting up in years were not told how old but she was far past the childbearing years. I would guess between 60 and 80. His conception was amazing.
The greatest thing that happened to Elizabeth. She finds from the words of the angels are going to have a child, and it is stress the most magnificent message she could hear when Zechariah the dad, here's the message he doesn't believe it. You know what happens to him. The Lord shuts up his hearing and closes his tongue so that he can't speak or hear throughout the nine months waiting for the birth here. As a result in older and aging mother-to-be and a father who is a mute. The owner that you can do is write back. When asked about the name of the boy said the rope name will be drawn. This is not going to be Johnny only love a John and your family all through the angel told us the name we name and John how long the parents live or not told but for sure you can believe his mom and dad helped him understand because of the words of the angel you are the forerunner of the Messiah.
Never forget it at the bar with a little sanctified imagination thinks of the father's words to his young boy, my boy. God is filled his holy covenant has fulfilled his holy covenant and you the oath which he swore unto Abraham our father blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel Lord's hand is on you, son, Lord's hand is on you. Sometimes my rights when they were alone together in the early dawn and saw the first peep of day. The father was a John John you see that light breaking over over the hills with a dayspring is to the world Jesus. My cousin at Nazareth will be to the darkness of sin, the forerunner never forget when John would ask why he would never cut his hair why he would not be able to drink strong drink like the other boys around them.
She would secure your current your Nazirite, your Nazirite, no cutting of the hair, no drinking of strong drink. In fact, your never to touch a dead body, not even a dead bird that you're tempted to pick up. Stay away from that. Meyer then adds how indelible are the impressions of the home message to you all of you who are in a home you may have a small family. You may have a grown family. You may have little ones coming along. You may have adolescents do not for discount the importance of the Council of the dad or the nurturing of the mother to never ever doubt John's mark of John's life was marked by the stamp of Zechariah's but the words of Elizabeth John were older, we can tell you all of this abstinence is worth every bit of it because it keeps your Val before God. You want to be a clean vessel that announces the coming Messiah on the heels of John's life came the one who would transform the world. His name is Jesus before he steps on the scene. John is in the wilderness. If you ever travel to Israel, make sure your guide takes you to the Judean wilderness you've never seen anything like you think you've seen wilderness not like this alongside the Dead Sea and further south there is a sprig of vegetation. It is rock and gravel. It is unbearably hot during the day cooled night on occasional rain will wash through but for the most part it's barren. There was his place of training. The howling winds of the wilderness were heard by John throughout his growing up here. I think his mother dead by now. Michael John alone rose up in the Judean there he learns the harsh demands there. He dismisses all human opinion. You know like the message you gotta deal with it is not my message. It's God's message were just getting started in our study of Matthew chapter 3 it's a message Chuck Swindoll is titled strange preacher strong proclamation and in the event you missed any program in this brand-new study of Matthew. Remember, you can catch up by streaming the audio directly from the Insight for living website you'll find all the information it Insight world.org a behind the scenes. We are quite excited about this new series called the king's arrival were praying that thousands, perhaps millions will join us in this exciting introduction to Israel's long-awaited king in the coming weeks and months. Chuck Swindoll will guide our global audience through Matthew's account of Jesus birth, his entire ministry on earth right through his parting words commonly known as the great commission along with the daily program Insight for living ministries has prepared a number of additional resources for you and each one is designed to help you dig deeper into God's word on your own and to apply the principles to your daily life. For example, the online searching the Scriptures. Studies will complement each sermon.
This gives you a way to explore the passage on your own and to take notes of what you're learning. You can even print out the document and share it with friends. So to search the Scriptures with Chuck go to insight.org/studies. Finally, along with the release of this brand-new series on the daily program. Chuck has just completed his verse by verse commentary on the book of Matthew as well becomes into hardbound volumes alongside the verses in Matthew also gain access to charts, maps, photos, key terms and of course Chuck's practical insights so to purchase windows living inside commentary on Matthew Collis listening in the US dial 1-800-772-8888 that's 1-800-772-8888 or go online to insight.org/store Chuck's Windows brand-new study through the book of Matthew can use Wednesday right here on insight for living.
The preceding message strange preacher strong elimination was inaugurated in 2015 and 2021 and the sound recording was copyrighted in 2021 by Charles Mercer, Wendell. All rights are reserved and location of copyrighted material for commercial use is strictly prohibited