264: Matt Sturgeon – Exhortation: The Heralding of John the Baptist

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Welcome to good Chris Selfian
talks.

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I’m Levi.
And I’m Chris.

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And I’m Brian.
Thank you for joining us this

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week on this podcast.
We select one talk a week to

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help us get the Bible in our
Daily News feed.

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We post a new episode at the
start of each week.

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With the short intro beforehand.
To kind of set the stage for the

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talk you’re about to listen to.
And now, let’s talk more about

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this week’s talk.
For this week, we’re listening

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to an exhortation that was given
by Brother Matt Sturgeon.

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Talking about the heralding of
the coming of John the Baptist,

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what I really appreciated about
Brother Matt’s exhortation is he

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is taking a look at a story that
sometimes they feel like we

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almost gloss over when we’re
reading it in Scripture.

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Because oftentimes when we go to
talking about John the Baptist,

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frequently our focus is instead
on reading through that part to

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get to the message from Gabriel
to tell Mary about the coming of

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Jesus or getting into the
ministry of Jesus.

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And so sometimes we can focus on
different parts of John the

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Baptist, especially when he’s
older.

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And he’s preparing the way
before Christ began his

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ministry.
But I really appreciated his.

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Taking a look at all the little
hints and nuances that go into

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John the Baptists, both his
parents and the events that

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preceded his prophesied birth, I
found it to be a really good

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dive into it.
Some really practical

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applications that I really
enjoyed.

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So I hope that you find this
exertation as encouraging and

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interesting as I did when I got
to hear it.

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So I will turn it over to
Brother Matt Sturgeon for his

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exhortation, the heralding of
John the Baptist.

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Well, good morning everybody.
Sister Katie and I are so

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incredibly grateful and happy to
be with you this morning.

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It’s always a pleasure when we
get to see brothers and sisters

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from.
Far away and close by and we’re

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we’re really thankful to have
the opportunity to share not

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only in fellowship, but around
the table of the Lord.

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This morning we read Luke One.
I want to 1st put you at ease.

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Our expectation is not to do an
exposition on the whole of Luke

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1 so you can take a breath, but
rather we’re going to look at

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the heralding of of John the
Baptist at the beginning of Luke

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1.
So if you’re not already there,

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turn with me, if you could, to
the Gospel of Luke.

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In chapter one, and we want to
start with verse 5.

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The bulk of our time this
morning is actually going to be

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spent looking at the things that
the Angel Gabriel said to

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Zechariah, but we want to start
by looking at his parents,

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Zechariah and Elizabeth.
Just have a look there at the

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the book of Luke, chapter one
and verse 5, where it says there

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was in the days of Herod the
king of Judea certain priests

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named Zechariah of the course of
Abaja.

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His wife was of the daughters of
Aaron, and her name was

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Elizabeth.
So what are we being told here?

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Well, we’re being told that
Zachariah was of the chorus of

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Abaija, which if we were to go
back to first of Chronicles 24,

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we would see that Zachariah was
of the line of Aaron going all

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the way back.
He was related to Aaron and

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Elizabeth.
What we’re told plainly that she

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too was of the daughters of
Aaron.

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So what that means is that
Zachariah and Elizabeth had a

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pure Christadelphian bloodline,
if you will.

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Their parents, parents, parents,
parents, parents, parents were

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all Christadelphians.
And so we would say, wow, that

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family, you know, they must be
doing something right.

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If they’ve been able to stay in
the truth that long, perhaps we

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might feel that way.
But more importantly, have a

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look at verse 6.
They were both righteous before

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God, walking in all the
commandments and ordinances of

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the Lord, Blameless.
Imagine if that was to be said

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about us in the record of
Scripture.

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They were blameless before their
God, and righteous so both in

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blood and in spirit.
Zechariah and Elizabeth were as

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pure as you could find in the
truth in those days.

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And yet.
They had no child because

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Elizabeth was barren, and
Scripture takes the time to tell

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us that she was well stricken in
years, that she was old, that

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they had gone their entire life,
and the truth having been raised

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the right way, having done the
right things, and having no

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children, and being in prayer
perhaps every day.

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Wondering why God would curse
them to be barren.

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And we emphasize this point
because perhaps we feel that way

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about all sorts of things.
Because we feel compelled that

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our timing should be right.
Because it seems appropriate

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that today I should have a child
or a husband or a job or or this

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thing or that thing or whatever
it is.

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And that’s not unreasonable to
feel that way.

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That’s why they prayed about it.
But in this case, and in ours,

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there was something greater
going on.

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And that thing was John the
Baptist.

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And so we find as we skip down
just a little bit to verse 11,

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there appeared unto Zechariah an
Angel of the Lord, standing on

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the right side of the altar of
incense in the temple.

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And when Zachariah saw him, he
was troubled, and fear fell upon

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him.
The Angel said unto him, Fear

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not, Zechariah, for thy prayer
is heard, and thy wife Elizabeth

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shall bear thee a son, and shall
call his name John.

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Now we want to just emphasize
this again.

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Look at what Gabriel says to
Zechariah.

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Thy prayer is answered.
Do you think that that meant

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that today was the first time
that Zechariah had made a prayer

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for a child?
And thus, Gabriel said, well,

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now that you finally decided to
pray about it.

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I’m going to give you a child,
but of course not.

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This was decades of fervent
prayer to God.

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This was also, by the way,
probably decades of murmuring

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amongst the Ecclesia Hall of
Isn’t it such a shame that

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Brother Zechariah and Sister
Elizabeth can’t have kids?

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They’re such lovely.
They’re such a lovely couple.

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Isn’t it unfortunate?
And finally, by the course of

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God’s timing, fear not, for you
and your wife will have a son

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you’ll call his name John.
And what we want to spend the

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rest of our time doing this
morning and get your fingers

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ready, because we’re going to be
doing some page turning, is we

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want to get a sense of what the
Angel said to Zechariah about

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his coming son John, and why he
said it.

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So we might just read briefly
these next few verses that

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describe what the Angel said to
Zechariah about his coming son.

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So have a look at verse 14.
Thou shalt have joy and

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gladness, and many shall rejoice
at his birth.

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He shall be great in the sight
of the Lord, and shall drink

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neither wine nor strong drink,
and he shall be filled with the

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Holy Spirit even from his
mother’s womb.

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And many of the children of
Israel shall he turn to the Lord

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their God.
And he shall go before him in

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the spirit and power of Elijah,
to turn the hearts of the

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fathers to the children, and the
disobedient to the wisdom of the

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just, to make ready a people
prepared for the Lord.

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The first thing they’re in verse
14, many shall have joy and

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gladness at his birth.
Well, we read that just over in

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verse 58.
It says her neighbors and her

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cousins heard how the Lord had
showed great mercy upon her and

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they rejoiced with her.
So indeed, many did rejoice at

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the birth of John the Baptist.
And then in verse 15, it says

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that he will drink neither wine
nor strong drink.

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That should be a indicator to us
about the Nazarete vow from

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number six.
We’re not going to turn that up.

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But the whole idea behind the
Nazarete vow is that any brother

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or sister could take part in the
Nazarete vow of not drinking any

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alcohol, of not being near
anything dead, and of not

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cutting your hair as a symbol of
the priesthood.

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You could act like a priest in
doing these things.

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Without actually being a priest
and doing the priestly duties.

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And you could do that
voluntarily, and you could do

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that for as long as you wanted.
So the Angel tells Zachariah

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that this is going to be
something that John’s going to

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do.
And we might say, well, why is

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that necessary?
He’s the son of a priest.

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Well, yes, but John’s role was
not to be a priest.

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John’s role was the herald, the
Son of God.

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And yet he would act like a
priest in the things that he

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did.
And then it says in verse 16,

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many of the children of Israel
shall he turn to the Lord their

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God.
Now we’re going to put a pin in

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this.
We’re going to come back to it.

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But I want you to note the word
many, many of the children of

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Israel shall he turn to the
Lord, their God.

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And I want you to think that it
doesn’t say that all would come

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to John the Baptist and learn of
God, but that many would.

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So we’re going to put a pin in
that.

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We’ll come back to it.
When our verse 17 we see an

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allusion to 2 Old Testament
prophecies, he shall go before

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him in the spirit and power of
Elijah to turn the hearts of the

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fathers to the children and the
disobedient.

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To the wisdom of the just now
that’s our first reference and

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if you look in your center
margin, you might see there that

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it’s in a reference to Malachi
Chapter 4.

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So keep a hand in, Luke you’re
going to want to do that

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throughout our consideration
this morning.

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But just come over to Malachi
Chapter 4.

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And yes, if if you did catch it,
I I’m doing the study day on

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Malachi, so this is kind of
where my head has been.

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So just if you look at the end
of Malachi chapter 4, Malachi 4

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is about the future.
It’s about things that haven’t

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happened yet.
As with many of Old Testament

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prophecies, they might talk
about things that had to do with

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the problems of the day.
They also talk about the things

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that would come to pass in the
future.

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And so right at the end of
Malachi 4 and verses 5 and six,

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it says, behold, ice will send
you Elijah the prophet.

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Before the coming of the great
and dreadful day of the Lord.

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And he shall turn the hearts of
the fathers to the children, and

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the hearts of the children to
their fathers.

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Lest I come and Smythe the earth
with a curse.

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Now keeping a hand in Malachi
and a hand in Luke, I just want

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to read you the Luke portion
again on what the Angel says.

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The Angel says to turn the
hearts of the fathers to the

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children.
We saw that and.

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The disobedient to the wisdom of
the just so the Angel does

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something very interesting.
The Angel changes the words of

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Malachi to be more specific,
instead of the children to the

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fathers, the Angel says the
disobedient to the wisdom of the

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just.
And So what we’re seeing here is

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there is a change.
What Gabriel’s saying is there’s

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a change from the way that the
children, the descendants,

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generation after generation
after generation, had been doing

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things.
Those disobedient people,

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they’re going to go back to the
wisdom of their just fathers,

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the wisdom of the way that
things were always intended to

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be.
There’s going to be a change in

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attitude in spirit, because what
does it say at the beginning of

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verse six that he shall turn the
hearts?

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When we think about this all the
time, right, we’re constantly

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thinking about what’s the right
way to dress and is there an

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appropriate version to read, and
all these different procedural

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things that we’re constantly
thinking about, wondering what’s

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appropriate and what’s not.
And it’s good for us to do those

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things.
There’s nothing wrong with that.

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But what there was a specific
interest in here is a changing

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of the heart, a changing of a
person’s composition, the way

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that they live their lives.
And interestingly it says that I

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will send you Elijah the prophet
in order to do it.

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And one of the things that we
find throughout the ministry of

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John and we see it with the
ministry of Christ as well, is

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constantly the scribes and and
the priests and all these

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religious people kept saying,
are you Elijah?

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Well you must be Elijah.
Is Christ Elijah.

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Who’s Elijah and why were they
doing that?

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00:12:58,640 –> 00:13:01,200
Why did they keep asking if
these people were Elijah?

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00:13:02,050 –> 00:13:07,130
Well, because the last prophecy
of the Old Testament was, I will

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00:13:07,130 –> 00:13:10,290
send you Elijah, the prophet
before the great and dreadful

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00:13:10,290 –> 00:13:13,650
day of the Lord.
They kept wondering, this must

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00:13:13,650 –> 00:13:15,490
be Elijah.
John must be Elijah.

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00:13:15,490 –> 00:13:18,090
Christ must be Elijah.
Somebody’s got to be Elijah,

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00:13:18,090 –> 00:13:20,170
because we’re stuck on this
prophecy and we don’t know what

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00:13:20,170 –> 00:13:23,010
to do with it.
And I think what we’re going to

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00:13:23,010 –> 00:13:27,210
find this morning is that John
partially fulfilled Malachi 4.

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00:13:27,210 –> 00:13:30,890
That’s why Gabriel says it, but
not completely.

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00:13:32,150 –> 00:13:36,350
There’s still work to be done.
So that’s the first prophecy

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00:13:36,350 –> 00:13:38,150
that’s alluded to.
Malachi 4.

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00:13:38,310 –> 00:13:41,310
Again, he says to turn the
hearts of the fathers to the

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00:13:41,310 –> 00:13:45,270
children and the disobedient to
the wisdom of the just so part

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00:13:45,270 –> 00:13:49,350
of the role of John the Baptist
was about changing hearts.

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00:13:50,030 –> 00:13:53,030
There’s a lot of power in that,
especially in these times when

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00:13:53,030 –> 00:13:58,190
it was all about law.
What’s the 2nd prophecy that’s

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00:13:58,190 –> 00:14:00,970
spoken about?
What’s really subtle here?

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00:14:01,450 –> 00:14:06,090
It’s at the end of verse 17.
It says to make ready a people

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00:14:06,210 –> 00:14:10,850
prepared for the Lord.
It’s really brief, and if you

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00:14:10,850 –> 00:14:12,730
went looking through your
concordance trying to figure out

239
00:14:12,730 –> 00:14:14,810
where that’s coming from, you
might come up with all kinds of

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00:14:14,810 –> 00:14:16,250
answers.
So.

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00:14:16,880 –> 00:14:19,120
Let’s go to a place where we can
get some more clarity because

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00:14:19,120 –> 00:14:22,040
John himself, when people ask
him who are you?

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00:14:22,360 –> 00:14:26,840
He says, well, let me tell you,
I come from this prophecy in the

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00:14:26,840 –> 00:14:29,480
Old Testament.
So again, keep a hand in Luke,

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00:14:29,480 –> 00:14:32,960
come over with me to John one.
Let’s look at what John has to

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00:14:32,960 –> 00:14:42,360
say about himself.
So John, one and just look with

247
00:14:42,360 –> 00:14:48,500
me if you will.
Let’s start back, actually at

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00:14:49,300 –> 00:14:51,620
verse 19, we’re going to see
some of what we’re talking

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00:14:51,620 –> 00:14:53,460
about, where the people want to
know if he’s Elijah.

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00:14:54,380 –> 00:14:56,860
So John one.
In verse 19, this is the record

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00:14:56,860 –> 00:15:00,580
of John when the Jews sent
priests and Levites from

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00:15:00,580 –> 00:15:03,180
Jerusalem to ask him, Who are
you?

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00:15:04,460 –> 00:15:05,980
They knew something was up with
this man.

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00:15:05,980 –> 00:15:07,980
They couldn’t quite figure out
what it was, so they wanted to

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00:15:07,980 –> 00:15:11,540
get to the bottom of it.
And he confessed and denied not,

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00:15:11,540 –> 00:15:14,310
but confessed.
I am not the Christ.

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00:15:14,310 –> 00:15:15,950
OK, so they put that to the
side.

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00:15:15,950 –> 00:15:18,390
Well, you got to be somebody
important, so let’s go through

259
00:15:18,390 –> 00:15:20,710
the list.
What then?

260
00:15:20,710 –> 00:15:24,110
Are you Elijah?
And he says, I am not.

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00:15:25,350 –> 00:15:30,150
Are thou that prophet?
And he answered no, and said

262
00:15:30,150 –> 00:15:33,030
they unto him, Who art thou?
That we may give an answer to

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00:15:33,030 –> 00:15:35,550
them that sent us?
So the priests and Levites want

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00:15:35,550 –> 00:15:37,910
to know who you are, John, and
we need an answer.

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00:15:38,110 –> 00:15:42,680
Tell us who you are.
What sayest thou of thyself?

266
00:15:43,560 –> 00:15:48,120
And he said, I am the voice of 1
crying in the wilderness, make

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00:15:48,120 –> 00:15:54,680
straight the way of the Lord.
As said, the prophet Isaiah and

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00:15:54,680 –> 00:15:57,880
they which were sent were of the
Pharisees, so he refers to a

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00:15:57,880 –> 00:16:02,490
passage from the prophet Isaiah.
That says and the voice of 1

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00:16:02,490 –> 00:16:04,970
crying in the wilderness makes
straight the way of the Lord.

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00:16:05,410 –> 00:16:07,650
And again, if you have a note in
your Bible or perhaps in your

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00:16:07,650 –> 00:16:09,650
center margin, you’ll see where
that’s from.

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00:16:09,650 –> 00:16:12,410
And that is from Isaiah chapter
40.

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00:16:12,570 –> 00:16:18,170
We might just have a brief look
over there at Isaiah 40 and

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00:16:18,170 –> 00:16:21,610
remember the passage from Luke
says prepare ye the way of the

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00:16:21,610 –> 00:16:24,450
Lord.
That’s what it says about John

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00:16:24,450 –> 00:16:29,170
from Gabriel and here Isaiah 40
and just looking down at verse

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00:16:29,170 –> 00:16:35,800
3.
It says the voice of him that

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00:16:35,800 –> 00:16:41,160
cries in the wilderness, Prepare
ye the way of the Lord.

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00:16:41,800 –> 00:16:45,640
Make straight in the desert a
highway for our God.

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00:16:46,120 –> 00:16:50,320
So this is the reference that
both John uses to refer to

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00:16:50,320 –> 00:16:56,920
himself, and that Gabriel uses
to describe John to Zechariah.

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00:16:57,200 –> 00:17:00,480
So we have Malachi 4, which is
about the turning of hearts.

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00:17:00,740 –> 00:17:04,140
The turning of the disobedient
to the wisdom of the just.

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00:17:04,500 –> 00:17:08,220
And we have the voice of Him
that cries in the wilderness,

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00:17:08,220 –> 00:17:10,339
which we know.
That’s where John came from.

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00:17:11,300 –> 00:17:15,819
Prepare the way of the Lord.
Prepare the way for Christ.

288
00:17:16,780 –> 00:17:19,780
Make straight in the desert, a
highway for our God.

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00:17:20,099 –> 00:17:22,339
Now, does that mean that John
was to God into the desert and

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00:17:22,339 –> 00:17:25,020
start paving roads?
Well, of course not.

291
00:17:25,380 –> 00:17:28,740
It’s about laying a path by
which.

292
00:17:29,590 –> 00:17:33,510
You and I would come to a
knowledge and an understanding

293
00:17:33,510 –> 00:17:36,230
and acceptance of the Lord Jesus
Christ.

294
00:17:36,470 –> 00:17:39,310
This was the work of John the
Baptist.

295
00:17:39,550 –> 00:17:43,430
And these are the 2 great
prophecies that Gabriel uses to

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00:17:43,430 –> 00:17:49,590
describe the coming of John.
So now we want to look just a

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00:17:49,590 –> 00:17:51,110
little bit back.
Remember we talked in the

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00:17:51,110 –> 00:17:54,950
previous verse.
It says many would come to a

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00:17:54,950 –> 00:17:58,450
knowledge.
Of God through John the Baptist.

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00:17:59,010 –> 00:18:01,770
So for that we might just have a
look at the book of Matthew.

301
00:18:02,010 –> 00:18:04,690
Come with me to Matthew and
we’ll start in Matthew 11.

302
00:18:16,810 –> 00:18:18,730
I guess it would help if I was
in Matthew and not Mark.

303
00:18:20,770 –> 00:18:24,970
So Matthew 11 and have a look at
what Christ has to say about

304
00:18:24,970 –> 00:18:28,150
John the Baptist.
Matthew 11 and verse seven.

305
00:18:28,590 –> 00:18:31,550
As they departed, Jesus began to
say into the multitudes

306
00:18:31,550 –> 00:18:36,430
concerning John the Baptist what
Whitney out into the wilderness

307
00:18:36,430 –> 00:18:40,670
to see a Reed shaken with the
wind, some sort of frail

308
00:18:40,670 –> 00:18:43,590
individual.
But what went she out to see?

309
00:18:43,590 –> 00:18:47,710
A man clothed in softer,
gorgeous fancy apparel.

310
00:18:49,310 –> 00:18:52,790
Behold, they that wear soft
clothing are in King’s houses.

311
00:18:54,190 –> 00:18:56,270
But what went she out for?
To see a prophet.

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00:18:56,850 –> 00:18:59,850
Yeah, I say unto you, and more
than a prophet.

313
00:19:00,690 –> 00:19:02,170
For this is he of whom it is
written.

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00:19:02,410 –> 00:19:06,090
Behold, I send my messenger
before thy face, which shall

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00:19:06,090 –> 00:19:08,850
prepare the way before thee.
That’s a reference to Malachi

316
00:19:08,850 –> 00:19:13,050
3IN verse one, the messenger
that would prepare the way for

317
00:19:13,050 –> 00:19:16,450
Christ.
Verily I say unto you in verse

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00:19:16,450 –> 00:19:22,570
eleven, Among them that are born
of women there hath not risen a

319
00:19:22,570 –> 00:19:27,330
greater than John the Baptist.
And outwithstanding, he that is

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00:19:27,330 –> 00:19:30,010
least in the Kingdom of heaven
is greater than he.

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00:19:30,010 –> 00:19:34,290
I’m going to read that again.
Among them that are born of

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00:19:34,290 –> 00:19:39,050
women there has not risen a
greater than John the Baptist.

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00:19:40,050 –> 00:19:43,130
That’s pretty high praise of all
the prophets, of all the men and

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00:19:43,130 –> 00:19:47,690
women that came before Christ
says John is the most important,

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00:19:47,770 –> 00:19:52,130
the greatest of them all.
That’s powerful and it’s

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00:19:52,130 –> 00:19:55,480
significant because.
And we haven’t gotten here yet,

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00:19:55,480 –> 00:19:58,080
but it says that he came in the
spirit and power of Elijah, and

328
00:19:58,080 –> 00:20:02,400
yet this John the Baptist was
greater than even Elijah

329
00:20:02,400 –> 00:20:05,720
himself, because he was coming
and preparing the way for

330
00:20:05,720 –> 00:20:09,040
Christ.
And he says finally in verse 12,

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00:20:09,040 –> 00:20:11,720
from the days of John the
Baptist until now the Kingdom of

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00:20:11,720 –> 00:20:15,560
heaven suffers violence and the
violent take it by force.

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00:20:15,840 –> 00:20:20,040
For all the prophets in the Law
prophesied until John, and here

334
00:20:20,040 –> 00:20:23,680
pay close attention if you will
receive it.

335
00:20:24,480 –> 00:20:27,560
This is Elijah which was for to
come.

336
00:20:27,800 –> 00:20:30,920
So what Christ is telling us is
John the Baptist came on the

337
00:20:30,920 –> 00:20:35,240
scene talking about the coming
of Christ and he says if you

338
00:20:35,240 –> 00:20:39,840
receive John the Baptist then he
was the Elijah of Malachi

339
00:20:39,840 –> 00:20:42,560
chapter 4.
So when all the priests in the

340
00:20:42,560 –> 00:20:45,480
scribes are running all over the
place looking to see is John the

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00:20:45,480 –> 00:20:48,840
Baptist Elijah, Christ says he
is.

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00:20:49,960 –> 00:20:53,600
If you listen to the message
that he’s trying to tell you.

343
00:20:55,320 –> 00:20:57,080
Did they listen to the message
of John?

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00:20:58,520 –> 00:21:00,440
Sadly, the majority of them
didn’t.

345
00:21:01,080 –> 00:21:04,200
He was beheaded for the things
that he said and for the things

346
00:21:04,480 –> 00:21:07,800
that he stood for.
John was rejected.

347
00:21:07,960 –> 00:21:11,600
And it’s why I think that Christ
says he that has ears to hear,

348
00:21:12,360 –> 00:21:15,200
let him hear.
And so we just want to pause

349
00:21:15,200 –> 00:21:17,560
here and ask ourselves, are we
listening?

350
00:21:18,400 –> 00:21:23,250
We have the ears to hear.
Are we hearing Because too

351
00:21:23,250 –> 00:21:27,050
often, even coming week after
week and and doing all the right

352
00:21:27,050 –> 00:21:29,330
things, we stand up, we sit
down, we we read in our homes,

353
00:21:29,330 –> 00:21:33,770
we pray, we do all these things.
It’s still easy for us to not

354
00:21:33,770 –> 00:21:37,170
have the word and our
relationship with our God change

355
00:21:37,370 –> 00:21:41,050
our hearts, which was the whole
reason why John was coming.

356
00:21:41,050 –> 00:21:44,650
Remember what Malachi 4 said?
That this Elijah was coming to

357
00:21:44,650 –> 00:21:48,930
change the hearts of the people
to make straight a highway for

358
00:21:48,930 –> 00:21:52,090
our God.
And still they rejected him

359
00:21:52,820 –> 00:21:54,580
because the people didn’t want
to change their hearts.

360
00:21:55,260 –> 00:21:57,740
In fact, what did the priests in
the scribes want when the

361
00:21:57,740 –> 00:22:00,020
Messiah came?
Well, they expected that the

362
00:22:00,020 –> 00:22:02,540
Messiah’s first order of
business would be walking right

363
00:22:02,540 –> 00:22:05,620
up to them and saying, oh,
you’ve done such a lovely job at

364
00:22:05,620 –> 00:22:07,220
the place here.
We’ve got some nice seats for

365
00:22:07,220 –> 00:22:09,580
you here, We’ve got some nice
seats for you over here.

366
00:22:09,780 –> 00:22:13,580
And now we’re going to come and
drive down judgment on all these

367
00:22:13,580 –> 00:22:15,980
other people who haven’t been as
clean and as righteous as you.

368
00:22:17,210 –> 00:22:18,610
And of course that’s the
opposite of what John the

369
00:22:18,610 –> 00:22:21,130
Baptist in Christ did.
They were actually quite

370
00:22:21,130 –> 00:22:25,050
condemning of the hypocritical
behavior of the Pharisees

371
00:22:25,890 –> 00:22:28,050
because they were coming to
change hearts.

372
00:22:29,290 –> 00:22:32,410
Now another reference about John
over in Matthew 17.

373
00:22:37,010 –> 00:22:38,930
So Matthew 17.
This must not be a good

374
00:22:38,930 –> 00:22:41,810
reference, but that’s Okay.
Matthew 17.

375
00:22:41,810 –> 00:22:43,370
We have the Transfiguration,
right?

376
00:22:43,370 –> 00:22:48,530
So Christ says in chapter 16 and
verse 28.

377
00:22:48,810 –> 00:22:51,730
Verily I say unto you, there be
some standing here which shall

378
00:22:51,730 –> 00:22:54,490
not taste of death.
So they see the Son of Man

379
00:22:54,490 –> 00:22:57,290
coming in his Kingdom.
And then right after that we

380
00:22:57,290 –> 00:22:59,850
have the Transfiguration, and
Christ is standing there with

381
00:22:59,850 –> 00:23:03,610
Moses and Elijah.
And do you know what Luke has to

382
00:23:03,610 –> 00:23:06,890
say about the Transfiguration?
What were they talking about?

383
00:23:07,090 –> 00:23:09,050
Where they were talking about
his departure?

384
00:23:09,610 –> 00:23:12,810
And that word in Greek means
Exodus.

385
00:23:13,210 –> 00:23:15,810
Exodus is actually a Greek word.
They were talking about the

386
00:23:15,850 –> 00:23:19,610
Exodus of Christ and who better
qualified than Moses who led his

387
00:23:19,610 –> 00:23:23,730
Exodus and Elijah who we’re
going to get to, And now Christ

388
00:23:23,730 –> 00:23:25,490
leading an exodus out of sin and
death.

389
00:23:26,770 –> 00:23:30,290
But the point is after the
transfiguration ends, the

390
00:23:30,290 –> 00:23:32,490
disciples are all turned around.
They don’t know what to do.

391
00:23:33,770 –> 00:23:39,210
And so they say in verse 10, his
disciples asked Christ saying,

392
00:23:39,410 –> 00:23:41,930
why?
Then say the scribes that Elijah

393
00:23:41,930 –> 00:23:44,890
has to come first.
They just saw Elijah.

394
00:23:44,890 –> 00:23:46,570
Was this it?
Was this what they were talking

395
00:23:46,570 –> 00:23:48,250
about?
Again, they’re all turned around

396
00:23:48,250 –> 00:23:50,250
by this.
They just saw Moses and Elijah.

397
00:23:51,170 –> 00:23:53,450
Another reference says that they
want to make tabernacles for the

398
00:23:53,450 –> 00:23:55,730
three of them, that they don’t
know what to do.

399
00:23:55,770 –> 00:23:57,170
I suspect we wouldn’t have
either.

400
00:23:58,570 –> 00:24:01,290
Why do the scribes say that
Elijah has to come first?

401
00:24:01,930 –> 00:24:06,610
And Christ says in verse 11
Elijah truly shall first come

402
00:24:06,610 –> 00:24:11,790
and restore all things.
It doesn’t say many things,

403
00:24:11,790 –> 00:24:13,750
which is what Gabriel had to say
about John.

404
00:24:13,950 –> 00:24:17,750
It says that Elijah would come
and restore all things.

405
00:24:18,950 –> 00:24:23,510
But I say unto you that Elijah
is come already, and they knew

406
00:24:23,510 –> 00:24:27,950
him not, but have done unto him
whatsoever they listed.

407
00:24:28,710 –> 00:24:31,270
Likewise show also the Son of
man suffer of them.

408
00:24:32,030 –> 00:24:34,950
Then the disciples understood
that he spoke unto them of John

409
00:24:34,950 –> 00:24:37,550
the Baptist.
So what’s Christ trying to say?

410
00:24:38,110 –> 00:24:41,310
He says Elijah is going to come
first.

411
00:24:43,670 –> 00:24:48,750
John came as a type of Elijah.
We saw that from Malachi 4.

412
00:24:50,070 –> 00:24:54,670
And what did the people do with
this representation of Elijah?

413
00:24:54,670 –> 00:24:57,430
Did they accept him with open
arms?

414
00:24:57,430 –> 00:25:01,230
Did they cry tears of joy that
this one who would come

415
00:25:01,230 –> 00:25:03,390
proclaiming the coming of Christ
was here?

416
00:25:05,070 –> 00:25:08,250
No, it says they knew him not
and have done unto him

417
00:25:08,250 –> 00:25:11,810
whatsoever they listed because
ultimately, as we said, John was

418
00:25:11,810 –> 00:25:17,410
beheaded.
So yes, this type of Elijah did

419
00:25:17,410 –> 00:25:21,090
come, and as we just saw from
Matthew 11, he could have been

420
00:25:21,090 –> 00:25:24,210
the fulfillment of Malachi 4.
He could have been the coming of

421
00:25:24,210 –> 00:25:27,250
Elijah.
In fact, theoretically, Christ

422
00:25:27,250 –> 00:25:29,610
could have set up the Kingdom
right there when he first came

423
00:25:29,610 –> 00:25:33,410
on the earth, but John was
rejected and Christ was

424
00:25:33,410 –> 00:25:36,220
rejected.
The coming of the changing of

425
00:25:36,220 –> 00:25:39,500
hearts that John tried to do,
the people weren’t interested in

426
00:25:39,500 –> 00:25:41,220
it.
They rejected him.

427
00:25:42,180 –> 00:25:44,860
And again, we have to ask
ourselves, are we allowing our

428
00:25:44,860 –> 00:25:47,740
hearts to be changed?
That when Christ comes again it

429
00:25:47,740 –> 00:25:52,180
won’t be the same result because
they were totally and completely

430
00:25:52,980 –> 00:25:58,540
dismissive of John’s appearing.
So coming back to Luke again,

431
00:25:59,620 –> 00:26:01,420
and the point we’re making and
all of that as we come back to

432
00:26:01,420 –> 00:26:06,310
Luke 1, is that John was a
partial fulfillment of the

433
00:26:06,310 –> 00:26:09,110
things that Elijah is ultimately
going to come to do.

434
00:26:09,910 –> 00:26:12,870
Because Elijah is going to come
again, and he is going to turn

435
00:26:12,870 –> 00:26:15,470
the hearts of the fathers to the
children and the hearts of the

436
00:26:15,470 –> 00:26:18,390
disobedience to the wisdom of
the just in preparation for the

437
00:26:18,390 –> 00:26:24,950
coming of Christ.
But it hasn’t happened yet, and

438
00:26:24,950 –> 00:26:29,240
he’s going to do it.
And a very specific spirit and

439
00:26:29,240 –> 00:26:31,320
power.
Because there’s one thing that

440
00:26:31,320 –> 00:26:34,960
we missed from what Gabriel had
to say to Zechariah about John.

441
00:26:35,240 –> 00:26:40,320
And here it is at the beginning
of verse 17, the last thing that

442
00:26:40,320 –> 00:26:44,720
we haven’t talked about, that
Gabriel says about John, verse

443
00:26:44,720 –> 00:26:50,040
17 of Luke, one he shall go
before him in the spirit and

444
00:26:50,040 –> 00:26:54,520
power of Elijah.
The spirit, his attitude, his

445
00:26:54,520 –> 00:26:58,770
mentality and his power, the
works that he does well, those

446
00:26:58,770 –> 00:27:03,730
are going to be like Elijah.
So if we can figure out what

447
00:27:03,730 –> 00:27:08,090
that spirit and power was, we’ll
have a good sense of what John

448
00:27:08,090 –> 00:27:12,810
was coming to do.
So we want to take a look as our

449
00:27:12,810 –> 00:27:15,410
final consideration for this
morning of what that was.

450
00:27:16,050 –> 00:27:18,450
So come with me over to Luke
Chapter 9, and let’s first look

451
00:27:18,450 –> 00:27:23,050
at his spirit.
Luke Chapter 9 and verses 51 to

452
00:27:23,050 –> 00:27:30,120
55.
Luke Chapter 9 and verse 51.

453
00:27:30,720 –> 00:27:32,960
And it came to pass.
When the time was come that he

454
00:27:32,960 –> 00:27:36,640
should be received up.
He, that is Christ, steadfastly

455
00:27:36,640 –> 00:27:40,800
set his face to go to Jerusalem
and sent messengers before his

456
00:27:40,800 –> 00:27:43,400
face.
And they went and entered into a

457
00:27:43,400 –> 00:27:45,800
village of the Samaritans to
make ready for him.

458
00:27:46,710 –> 00:27:49,710
But they did not receive him
because his face was as though

459
00:27:49,710 –> 00:27:52,790
he would go to Jerusalem.
So Christ and the disciples,

460
00:27:52,790 –> 00:27:55,550
they come to a city of the
Samaritans, and the Samaritans

461
00:27:55,550 –> 00:27:57,630
didn’t want to see him because
they knew he was going somewhere

462
00:27:57,630 –> 00:27:59,510
else.
So they rejected Christ.

463
00:28:00,430 –> 00:28:03,670
And have a look at what the
disciples have to say about this

464
00:28:03,750 –> 00:28:08,310
interaction.
When the disciples verse 54

465
00:28:08,310 –> 00:28:14,300
James and John saw this, they
said, Lord, wilt thou that we

466
00:28:14,300 –> 00:28:19,740
command fire to come down from
heaven and consume them even as

467
00:28:19,900 –> 00:28:23,300
Elijah did.
Now we want to pause here for

468
00:28:23,300 –> 00:28:29,060
something else, because there’s
a situation where people are not

469
00:28:29,060 –> 00:28:33,580
on the same page.
They do something against Christ

470
00:28:33,580 –> 00:28:34,780
that they really shouldn’t have
done.

471
00:28:35,940 –> 00:28:39,390
And the default reaction of
James and John is to say, you

472
00:28:39,390 –> 00:28:41,870
know, you know, it’d be great.
We really teach them a lesson.

473
00:28:42,110 –> 00:28:43,830
Let’s call down fire from
heaven.

474
00:28:44,270 –> 00:28:46,830
Then they’ll really get it.
They’ll also be dead, but

475
00:28:46,830 –> 00:28:49,910
they’ll get it.
Sometimes.

476
00:28:49,910 –> 00:28:53,870
Some of us, and the truth, for
good reasons, want to call down

477
00:28:53,870 –> 00:28:56,630
fire from heaven.
I felt that way.

478
00:28:57,270 –> 00:29:01,100
I don’t know if you’ve ever felt
that way, because we think that

479
00:29:01,100 –> 00:29:02,580
that’s what people need to
change.

480
00:29:02,580 –> 00:29:05,540
We need to call down great fire
from heaven, and then once

481
00:29:05,540 –> 00:29:07,220
they’re all burnt through a
crisp and there’s nothing there

482
00:29:07,220 –> 00:29:11,100
left, then they’ll get it.
Seems like a good idea.

483
00:29:11,460 –> 00:29:14,740
Elijah did it, and what does
Christ have to say about this?

484
00:29:16,500 –> 00:29:21,820
But he turned and rebuked them
and said, You know not what

485
00:29:21,820 –> 00:29:29,040
manner of spirit you are of.
They thought that the spirit,

486
00:29:29,080 –> 00:29:32,880
the attitude of Elijah, was when
people misbehaved, you burnt

487
00:29:32,880 –> 00:29:34,680
them to a crisp with fire from
heaven.

488
00:29:34,800 –> 00:29:39,280
That’s the spirit of Elijah.
But that’s not the spirit of

489
00:29:39,280 –> 00:29:40,960
Elijah.
What does Christ have to say in

490
00:29:40,960 –> 00:29:43,600
verse 56?
The Son of Man has not come to

491
00:29:43,600 –> 00:29:47,080
destroy men’s lives, but to save
them.

492
00:29:48,360 –> 00:29:49,920
And they went to another
village.

493
00:29:51,680 –> 00:29:55,470
There are times in our lives and
the truth Well, people will do

494
00:29:55,470 –> 00:29:59,910
things where we will do things
that might seem worthy of great

495
00:29:59,910 –> 00:30:03,870
fire from heaven.
But the reality is Christ is

496
00:30:03,870 –> 00:30:07,070
coming to save the lives of men,
and we must try to do everything

497
00:30:07,070 –> 00:30:11,470
within our power to save rather
than to destroy.

498
00:30:12,150 –> 00:30:17,430
So our point is with the Spirit.
The spirit of Elijah is not a

499
00:30:17,430 –> 00:30:20,550
spirit of a person who wants to
come and burn people to a crisp.

500
00:30:20,670 –> 00:30:24,480
That’s not the spirit of Elijah.
I haven’t figured out what it is

501
00:30:24,480 –> 00:30:25,880
yet, but that’s what it’s not.
Okay.

502
00:30:25,880 –> 00:30:28,720
Now let’s talk about the power
of Elijah.

503
00:30:29,160 –> 00:30:34,920
Come with me over to John 10,
John 10 and verse 40.

504
00:30:35,160 –> 00:30:44,800
The power of Elijah John 10 and
verse 40 says, And we’re

505
00:30:44,800 –> 00:30:46,840
jumping, we’re parachuting into
the record, which we always say

506
00:30:46,840 –> 00:30:49,080
not to do.
But you’ll see why John 10 and

507
00:30:49,080 –> 00:30:52,560
verse 40 he went away again
beyond Jordan, into the place

508
00:30:52,560 –> 00:30:58,360
where John at first baptized,
and there he abode, and many

509
00:30:58,680 –> 00:31:04,440
resorted unto him, and said,
John did no miracle.

510
00:31:05,480 –> 00:31:07,800
But all things that John’s spake
of this man were true.

511
00:31:08,640 –> 00:31:14,240
John did no miracle.
Now, if I asked you what’s the

512
00:31:14,240 –> 00:31:16,600
power of Elijah, what would you
say?

513
00:31:17,360 –> 00:31:20,000
Well, I would have said it’s
calling down fire from heaven.

514
00:31:20,000 –> 00:31:22,400
That’s the power of Elijah.
He does it more than once.

515
00:31:22,720 –> 00:31:24,960
It has a great impact.
And how does it get more

516
00:31:24,960 –> 00:31:27,600
powerful than calling down fire
from heaven?

517
00:31:27,800 –> 00:31:31,520
And yet, if that was the power
of Elijah that John was supposed

518
00:31:31,520 –> 00:31:34,040
to come in, he would have done
miracles.

519
00:31:34,440 –> 00:31:38,440
And we’re specifically told that
John never did a miracle.

520
00:31:39,640 –> 00:31:42,250
And by the way, he’s the
greatest man to ever walk the

521
00:31:42,250 –> 00:31:44,450
earth aside from Christ.
That’s what Christ says himself.

522
00:31:45,650 –> 00:31:49,050
So if the spirit of Elijah, if
his attitude is not to call down

523
00:31:49,050 –> 00:31:52,930
fire from heaven, and his power
is not to do the miracles to

524
00:31:52,930 –> 00:31:56,770
call down fire from heaven, what
is the spirit and power of

525
00:31:56,770 –> 00:32:02,290
Elijah that John came in that
Gabriel prophecies in Luke one?

526
00:32:03,410 –> 00:32:06,970
I think our answer is found in
the First of Kings chapter 19.

527
00:32:07,330 –> 00:32:12,540
Let’s just go back there.
First of Kings 19.

528
00:32:13,820 –> 00:32:20,940
Now first of Kings 18 is a great
Sunday school story because

529
00:32:20,940 –> 00:32:23,780
first of Kings 18 is Elijah and
the prophets of Bale.

530
00:32:24,700 –> 00:32:27,060
So Elijah’s on the one side and
the prophets of Bale are on the

531
00:32:27,060 –> 00:32:28,860
other side.
And all day long the prophets of

532
00:32:28,860 –> 00:32:32,380
Bale cut themselves and dance
around and all this nonsense.

533
00:32:33,400 –> 00:32:38,040
And Elijah, you know, digs the
the ditch around the the altar

534
00:32:38,040 –> 00:32:40,320
and fills it with water.
And here comes the great fire

535
00:32:40,320 –> 00:32:42,240
from heaven and destroys the
altar.

536
00:32:43,680 –> 00:32:46,680
And it’s a great dramatic story
and we all love it because it’s

537
00:32:46,720 –> 00:32:52,400
the power of God.
But after that happens, it’s not

538
00:32:52,400 –> 00:32:54,880
that the wickedness falls apart
and all the people turn to God.

539
00:32:54,880 –> 00:32:57,680
And what a relief it was that we
had a great fire from heaven.

540
00:32:58,000 –> 00:33:03,790
Elijah has to go on the run, and
the first of kings 19 In verse

541
00:33:03,910 –> 00:33:09,790
10, after God says to Elijah,
What doest thou here, Elijah, we

542
00:33:09,790 –> 00:33:13,630
see a response that perhaps we
at sometimes can relate to verse

543
00:33:13,630 –> 00:33:18,870
of kings 19 and verse 10.
And he said, I’ve been very

544
00:33:18,870 –> 00:33:22,510
jealous for the Lord God of
hosts, for the children of

545
00:33:22,510 –> 00:33:26,030
Israel have forsaken thy
covenant, thrown down thine

546
00:33:26,030 –> 00:33:29,430
altars, and slain thy prophets
with the sword.

547
00:33:29,790 –> 00:33:35,080
And I even I only am left, and
they seek my life to take it

548
00:33:35,080 –> 00:33:38,720
away.
Elijah felt that the only person

549
00:33:38,720 –> 00:33:42,200
left who had any devotion to God
whatsoever was him.

550
00:33:43,080 –> 00:33:44,520
Perhaps at times we can feel
that way.

551
00:33:44,880 –> 00:33:47,040
Perhaps we can feel like in our
families or in our ecclesias.

552
00:33:47,040 –> 00:33:49,160
And the truth as a whole, The
only person left that cares

553
00:33:49,160 –> 00:33:52,720
about God at all is me, because
everybody else is falling short.

554
00:33:53,520 –> 00:33:56,880
That’s how Elijah felt even
after the great fire from

555
00:33:56,880 –> 00:34:00,240
heaven.
And what does God tell him to

556
00:34:00,240 –> 00:34:03,240
do?
Verse 11, He said, Go forth,

557
00:34:03,640 –> 00:34:07,720
stand upon the mound before the
Lord, and behold the Lord passed

558
00:34:07,720 –> 00:34:12,400
by, and a great and strong wind
rent the mountains and break

559
00:34:12,400 –> 00:34:14,679
them in pieces, the rocks before
the Lord.

560
00:34:15,679 –> 00:34:19,120
But the Lord was not in the
wind, And after the wind and

561
00:34:19,120 –> 00:34:24,320
earthquake, the Lord was not in
the earthquake, and after the

562
00:34:24,320 –> 00:34:30,969
earthquake a fire that the Lord
was not in the fire, and after

563
00:34:30,969 –> 00:34:36,290
the fire the voice of a gentle
whisper.

564
00:34:36,290 –> 00:34:45,850
And what Elijah came to
understand is that the voice of

565
00:34:45,850 –> 00:34:50,810
God that changes people, that
strikes them to their core, has

566
00:34:50,810 –> 00:34:53,889
nothing to do with fire from
heaven or winds or earthquake or

567
00:34:53,889 –> 00:34:56,760
anything else.
It has purely to do with the

568
00:34:56,760 –> 00:35:01,840
voice of the Word of God.
If our hearts are going to be

569
00:35:01,840 –> 00:35:03,960
changed, brothers and sisters,
it will be because of our

570
00:35:03,960 –> 00:35:05,920
relationship with our God.
It will be because of the

571
00:35:05,920 –> 00:35:09,920
prayers that we make to Him and
the answers that we receive in

572
00:35:09,920 –> 00:35:13,240
our lives, in part, in large
part from His word.

573
00:35:14,480 –> 00:35:19,760
The spirit and power of John the
Baptist is right here in First

574
00:35:19,760 –> 00:35:23,560
of Kings 19.
It’s in the power of the voice

575
00:35:23,840 –> 00:35:28,560
of the word of God.
We can be so pent up and

576
00:35:28,560 –> 00:35:33,120
frustrated that we’re not seeing
God work in our lives in the way

577
00:35:33,120 –> 00:35:36,080
that we feel He should or the
way that we expect him to.

578
00:35:36,080 –> 00:35:39,400
But the reality is he has worked
in our lives in a way that is

579
00:35:39,400 –> 00:35:42,960
unbelievable.
We have the words of our Lord

580
00:35:42,960 –> 00:35:44,920
and Savior Jesus Christ right in
front of us.

581
00:35:44,920 –> 00:35:47,880
The words of great men and women
of old that came before and

582
00:35:47,880 –> 00:35:53,950
after him, all bent up in His
word And just to drive this

583
00:35:53,950 –> 00:35:57,750
home, we want to turn back to
our last reference for this

584
00:35:57,750 –> 00:36:00,790
morning as we come to the
emblems, and that is back in

585
00:36:00,790 –> 00:36:03,550
Isaiah 40.
So we looked at Isaiah 40

586
00:36:03,550 –> 00:36:06,870
before, we looked at Isaiah 40
before because it was one of the

587
00:36:06,870 –> 00:36:13,270
two prophecies that Gabriel uses
to talk about what John was

588
00:36:13,270 –> 00:36:16,910
going to do.
He uses Malachi 4 to talk about

589
00:36:16,910 –> 00:36:21,650
the turning of the hearts, and
he uses Isaiah 40 to talk about,

590
00:36:21,810 –> 00:36:25,130
among other things, building a
pathway to Christ.

591
00:36:25,930 –> 00:36:29,810
But we cut it off early.
And furthermore, I think what

592
00:36:29,810 –> 00:36:32,450
we’ll find with Isaiah 40 is
that when we read it with these

593
00:36:32,450 –> 00:36:36,010
renewed eyes, having looked at
first of Kings 19, that it is

594
00:36:36,010 –> 00:36:43,570
more powerful Isaiah 40 and
verse 3, the voice of him that

595
00:36:43,570 –> 00:36:48,440
cries, what was the voice that
Elijah heard in first of Kings

596
00:36:48,440 –> 00:36:51,720
19?
It was a still small voice.

597
00:36:51,840 –> 00:36:55,360
And now in Isaiah 40, what’s
prophesied about John is that

598
00:36:55,360 –> 00:36:58,960
the voice cries in the
wilderness, that is the voice of

599
00:36:58,960 –> 00:37:01,360
God.
The spirit and power of John was

600
00:37:01,360 –> 00:37:03,520
not in these great incredible
miracles.

601
00:37:03,520 –> 00:37:07,280
It was the fact that he came
proclaiming the voice of the

602
00:37:07,280 –> 00:37:10,000
word of God and look at what he
does.

603
00:37:10,000 –> 00:37:12,080
We already looked at verse 3,
but just look at the rest.

604
00:37:12,880 –> 00:37:15,080
Every valley in verse four
should be exalted.

605
00:37:15,360 –> 00:37:18,000
Every mountain and hill should
be made low.

606
00:37:18,240 –> 00:37:21,680
The crooked shall be made
straight, and the rough places

607
00:37:21,800 –> 00:37:27,040
plain, and the glory of the Lord
shall be revealed, and all flesh

608
00:37:27,040 –> 00:37:29,400
shall see it together.
For the mouth of the Lord has

609
00:37:29,400 –> 00:37:31,840
spoken it.
It’s a vision of the Kingdom.

610
00:37:32,720 –> 00:37:36,000
All the bad places will be
destroyed, and all the good

611
00:37:36,000 –> 00:37:40,690
places will be lifted up, and
all flesh will see it together.

612
00:37:40,850 –> 00:37:43,890
Not in the first work of John,
where many saw it, but they

613
00:37:43,970 –> 00:37:48,810
ultimately rejected him.
But everyone all over the earth

614
00:37:49,810 –> 00:37:52,490
will come to an understanding of
our Lord.

615
00:37:53,770 –> 00:37:57,330
And again the voice says in
verse six, cry.

616
00:37:57,610 –> 00:38:03,490
And he said, What shall I cry?
All flesh is grass, and all the

617
00:38:03,490 –> 00:38:07,350
goodliness thereof is as the
flower of the field, the grass

618
00:38:07,350 –> 00:38:10,990
withereth, the flower fadeth
because the spirit of the Lord

619
00:38:11,150 –> 00:38:13,910
bloweth upon it.
Surely the people is grass, and

620
00:38:13,910 –> 00:38:17,390
the older we get, the more we
know this is true, that we are

621
00:38:18,230 –> 00:38:21,510
nothing but dust, that we are
grass, that we fade.

622
00:38:21,510 –> 00:38:26,770
The older we get, the more we
fall apart, and yet the grass

623
00:38:26,770 –> 00:38:31,090
withereth the flower fadeth.
But the word of our God shall

624
00:38:31,090 –> 00:38:35,130
stand forever, because the
spirit and power of Elijah was

625
00:38:35,130 –> 00:38:38,770
not in great fiery miracles from
heaven, but in the word of our

626
00:38:38,770 –> 00:38:41,130
God.
And you know that first Peter

627
00:38:41,130 –> 00:38:44,330
references Isaiah 40 And you
know what it says about verse 8.

628
00:38:44,730 –> 00:38:47,410
The grass withereth, the flower
fadeth.

629
00:38:47,690 –> 00:38:49,970
But the Word of our God shall
stand forever.

630
00:38:50,130 –> 00:38:55,420
For this is the gospel which was
preached unto you, brothers and

631
00:38:55,420 –> 00:38:58,700
sisters, as we come to partake
of the emblems and to remember

632
00:38:58,700 –> 00:39:02,460
our Lord, and to take yet
another week forward, as we try

633
00:39:02,460 –> 00:39:05,660
to deny our flesh and move
forward, arm in arm, together,

634
00:39:05,660 –> 00:39:10,900
as we await our Lord and Savior
Jesus Christ, let us remember

635
00:39:10,900 –> 00:39:14,180
the ultimate objective, the
ultimate objective of John and

636
00:39:14,180 –> 00:39:18,040
of Christ himself, that it’s
about turning hearts, about

637
00:39:18,040 –> 00:39:20,360
taking the flesh that we have
and putting it to death,

638
00:39:20,680 –> 00:39:25,080
recognizing that the things that
we’re striving for are so much

639
00:39:25,200 –> 00:39:30,040
greater than the temporary
things that we see today, Even

640
00:39:30,040 –> 00:39:31,800
so.
Come Lord Jesus.

641
00:39:46,360 –> 00:39:48,480
Thank you for listening to the
Good Kissadelphian Talks

642
00:39:48,480 –> 00:39:51,040
Podcast.
We hope this talk helped you in

643
00:39:51,040 –> 00:39:52,560
your walk and brightened your
day.

644
00:39:53,760 –> 00:39:55,800
If you would like to hear more,
please subscribe for new

645
00:39:55,800 –> 00:39:58,320
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646
00:39:58,320 –> 00:40:02,400
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647
00:40:02,400 –> 00:40:04,880
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