Modeling the Life of John the Baptist
Sermon prepared by the Holy Spirit and Pastor Andrew T. Okai
2nd Sunday in Advent
December 10, 2017
Sermon text: Mark 1:1–8
Sermon Theme: Modeling the Life of John the Baptist
Introduction
Grace, mercy, and peace...
Today is the second Sunday in advent. We are preparing for Christmas and at the same time preparing for Jesus’ eminent return.
As we anticipate this great second coming, one of the most important things on our list is to be a voice for Jesus.
As with John the Baptist, God has called many to this ministry; during the time of John the Baptist, the message was to a nation—Israel. In our time, the message is to the whole world. For the message to be delivered to the whole world, God has to raise many John the Baptists—you, me, many others.
So if we are the John the Baptists for our time and age, it is wise to look at John’s ministry as a model for our ministry.
His ministry of preparation
John’s ministry was first getting the hearts of the people ready for the Lord.
Our job is to prepare man’s heart for the second coming of the Lord by the word of God and the Spirit and baptism.
His ministry of proclamation
The message has to be right—repentance for the forgiveness of sins...
The message of the cross has two major components: repentance and forgiveness.
His ministry of praise
John Points his listeners to Christ.
This tells us that we need to come to this ministry of reconciliation with humility.