John the Baptist?”……Although his name implies that he baptized people (which he did), John's life on earth was more than just baptizing. John's adult life was characterized by blind devotion and utter surrender to Jesus Christ and His kingdom. John's voice was a "lone voice in the wilderness"

John 1:23…John replied in the words of the prophet Isaiah: "I am a voice shouting in the wilderness, 'Clear the way for the Lord's coming!'"(Isa 40:3)

He proclaimed the coming of the Messiah to a people who desperately needed a Savior.

He was the precursor for the modern day evangelist as he unashamedly shared the good news of Jesus Christ.

He was a man filled with faith and a role model to those of us who wish to share our faith with others. ……Believer and non-believeralike have heard of John the Baptist. He is arguably one of the most significant and well-known figures in the Bible.

While John was known as "the Baptist," he was in fact the first prophet called by God since Malachi some 400 years before his own birth. John's own coming was foretold over 700 years previously by another prophet.…Isaiah 40:3-5…Listen! It's the voice of someone shouting,"Clear the way through the wilderness…for the Lord!Make a straight highway through the wasteland for our God!… Fill in the valleys, and level the mountains and hills.Straighten the curves, and smooth out the rough places.Then the glory of the Lord will be revealed, and all people will see it together. The Lord has spoken!"(Greek version reads He is a voice shouting in the wilderness, / "Prepare the way for the Lord's coming! / Clear a road for our God! / Fill in the valleys, / and level the mountains and hills. / And then the glory of the Lord will be revealed, / and all people will see the salvation sent from God. / The Lord has spoken!" Compare Matt 3:3; Mark 1:3; Luke 3:4-6.)…This passage illustrates God's master plan in action as God selected John to be His special ambassador to proclaim His own coming. ……Little is actually known of John, although we do know that John was a Levite, one of the special tribe set aside by God to take care of all of the work associated with the temple…Numbers 1:50-53…Put the Levites in charge of the Tabernacle of the Covenant, along with all its furnishings and equipment. They must carry the Tabernacle and all its furnishings as you travel, and they must take care of it and camp around it. Whenever it is time for the Tabernacle to move, the Levites will take it down. And when it is time to stop, they will set it up again. But any unauthorized person who goes too near the Tabernacle must be put to death. Each tribe of Israel will camp in a designated area with its own family banner. But the Levites will camp around the Tabernacle of the Covenant to protect the community of Israel from the Lord's anger. The Levites are responsible to stand guard around the Tabernacle."…John was the son of Zechariah, a temple priest of the lineage of Abijah, while John's mother Elizabeth was from the lineage of Aaron …Luke 1:5…When Herod was king of Judea, there was a Jewish priest named Zechariah. He was a member of the priestly order of Abijah, and his wife, Elizabeth, was also from the priestly line of Aaron.…John was also related to Jesus as their mothers were cousins…The angel said to Mary…Luke 1:36…your relative Elizabeth has become pregnant in her old age! People used to say she was barren, but she has conceived a son and is now in her sixth month.

The angel explains to Zacharias that his son, John the Baptist, will be filled with the Holy Spiritbefore his birth

Luke 1:15…15 for he will be great in the eyes of the Lord. He must never touch wine or other alcoholic drinks. He will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even before his birth.[a]

…John lived a rugged life in the mountainous area of Judea, between the city of Jerusalem and the Dead Sea. It is written that he wore clothes made out of camel's hair with a leather belt around his waist. His diet was a simple one-locusts and wild honey…Matthew 3:4…John's clothes were woven from coarse camel hair, and he wore a leather belt around his waist. For food he ate locusts and wild honey.…John lived a simple life as he focused on the kingdom work set before him. …His ministry grew in popularity…Matthew 3:5-6…People from Jerusalem and from all of Judea and all over the Jordan Valley went out to see and hear John.6 And when they confessed their sins, he baptized them in the Jordan River.…We also see that he spoke very boldly to the religious leaders of the day…Matthew 3:7-10…But when he saw many Pharisees and Sadducees coming to watch him baptize,(Or coming to be baptized.)he denounced them. "You brood of snakes!" he exclaimed. "Who warned you to flee God's coming wrath? Prove by the way you live that you have repented of your sins and turned to God. Don't just say to each other, 'We're safe, for we are descendants of Abraham.' That means nothing, for I tell you, God can create children of Abraham from these very stones. Even now the ax 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.…People of that day simply did not address leaders, religious or otherwise, in this manner for fear of punishment. But John's faith made him fearless in the face of opposition.…While his ministry was gaining strength, John's message was gaining popularity. In fact, it became so popular that many people may have thought that he was the Messiah. This assuredly was not his intent as he had a clear vision for what he was called to do. …John 3:28…You yourselves know how plainly I told you, 'I am not the Messiah. I am only here to prepare the way for him.'…This verse speaks of John cautioning his disciples that what they had seen and heard from him is just the beginning of the miracle that was to come in the form of Jesus Christ. John was merely a messenger sent by God to proclaim the truth. His message was simple and direct: …Matthew 3:2…"Repent of your sins and turn to God, for the Kingdom of Heaven is near"…He knew that once Jesus appeared on the scene, John's work would be all but finished. He willingly gave up the spotlight to Jesus saying…John 3:30…He must become greater and greater, and I must become less and less.,…Perhaps there is no greater example of humility than the one demonstrated by both Jesus and John…Matthew 3:13-15…Then Jesus went from Galilee to the Jordan River to be baptized by John. But John tried to talk him out of it. "I am the one who needs to be baptized by you," he said, "so why are you coming to me?" But Jesus said, "It should be done, for we must carry out all that God requires.(Or for we must fulfill all righteousness)." So John agreed to baptize him.…Jesus came from Galilee to be baptized by John in the river Jordan. John rightly recognized that the sinless Son of God needed no baptism of repentance and that he was certainly not worthy to baptize his own Savior. But Jesus answered his concern by requesting baptism "to fulfill all righteousness" meaning that He was identifying Himself with sinners for whom He would ultimately sacrifice Himself, thereby securing all righteousness for them…2 Corinthians 5:21…For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin,(Or to become sin itself). so that we could be made right with God through Christ.…In humility, John obeyed and consented to baptize Jesus. John's ministry, as well as his life, came to an abrupt end at the hand of King Herod. In an act of unspeakable and violent vengeance, Herodias, Herod's wife and the former wife of Herod's brother Philip, plotted with her daughter to have John killed. So incensed was Herodias at John for claiming her marriage to Herod to be unlawful that she prompted her daughter to ask for the head of John on a platter as a reward for her pleasing Herod with her dancing. John had previously been arrested by Herod in attempt to silence him, and it was a simple thing to send the executioner to the prison and behead John, which is exactly what happened …Mark 6:17-28…For Herod had sent soldiers to arrest and imprison John as a favor to Herodias. She had been his brother Philip's wife, but Herod had married her. John had been telling Herod, "It is against God's law for you to marry your brother's wife." So Herodias bore a grudge against John and wanted to kill him. But without Herod's approval she was powerless, for Herod respected John; and knowing that he was a good and holy man, he protected him. Herod was greatly disturbed whenever he talked with John, but even so, he liked to listen to him. Herodias's chance finally came on Herod's birthday. He gave a party for his high government officials, army officers, and the leading citizens of Galilee.Then his daughter, also named Herodias,(Some manuscripts read the daughter of Herodias herself.) came in and performed a dance that greatly pleased Herod and his guests. "Ask me for anything you like," the king said to the girl, "and I will give it to you." He even vowed, "I will give you whatever you ask, up to half my kingdom!" She went out and asked her mother, "What should I ask for?"Her mother told her, "Ask for the head of John the Baptist!" So the girl hurried back to the king and told him, "I want the head of John the Baptist, right now, on a tray!" Then the king deeply regretted what he had said; but because of the vows he had made in front of his guests, he couldn't refuse her.So he immediately sent an executioner to the prison to cut off John's head and bring it to him. The soldier beheaded John in the prison, brought his head on a tray, and gave it to the girl, who took it to her mother.…This was a sad and ignoble end to the life of the man about whom Jesus said:…Luke 7:28 …I tell you, of all who have ever lived, none is greater than John. Yet even the least person in the Kingdom of God is greater than he is!"

…There are several lessons we can learn from the life of John the Baptist.

Firstly, whole-heartedly believing in Jesus Christ is possible. John the Baptist could have believed in and worshipped any number of gods available to him before Jesus arrived on the scene. But at some point in his life John knew that the Messiah was coming. He believed this with his whole heart and spent his days "preparing the way" for the Lord's coming…Matthew 11:10…John is the man to whom the Scriptures refer when they say,'Look, I am sending my messenger ahead of you, and he will prepare your way before you.'Mal 3:1"Look! I am sending my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me. Then the Lord you are seeking will suddenly come to his Temple. The messenger of the covenant, whom you look for so eagerly, is surely coming," says the Lord of Heaven's Armies.…But the road was not an easy one to prepare. Daily he faced doubters of various influence and popularity who did not share his enthusiasm for the coming Messiah. Under hard questioning from the Pharisees, John shared his belief: …John 1:26-27…John told them, "I baptize with water, but right here in the crowd is someone you do not recognize. Though his ministry follows mine, I'm not even worthy to be his slave and untie the straps of his sandal."…John believed in the Christ and his great faith prepared him for hardships, but it kept him steadfast on his course until the time when he could say as he saw Jesus approach…John 1:29.…The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, "Look! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! As believers, we can all have this steadfast faith. ……Secondly, anyone can be a strong and serious witness for Jesus Christ. …John's life is an example to us of the seriousness with which we are to approach the Christian life and our call to ministry, whatever that may be. We pattern our lives after John's by examining ourselves to be sure we are truly in the faith…2 Corinthians 13:5…Examine yourselves to see if your faith is genuine. Test yourselves. Surely you know that Jesus Christ is among you (Or in you) if not, you have failed the test of genuine faith.…Just like John, we are to know and believe that as Paul said it so beautifully "to live is Christ and to die is gain" so we can be fearless in the face of persecution and death.…Philippians 1:21…For to me, living means living for Christ, and dying is even better.…John lived his life to introduce others to Jesus Christ, and knew the importance of repenting of one's sins in order to live a holy and righteous life. And as a follower of Jesus Christ, he also was unafraid of calling out people such as Herod and the Pharisees for their sinful behavior. ……Thirdly, John shows us how to stand firm in our faith no matter what the circumstances. Paul reminded Timothy …2 Timothy 3:12…Yes, and everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.…But for many of us who live in freedom, persecution takes on a very mild form. As he lived in an occupied country, John had to be aware that anything contrary to utter devotion to the king or emperor was asking for trouble. Yet his message was unchanging, bold and strong. It was John's belief, his message, and his continual rebuke of King Herod that landed him in prison. While it is hard to know for sure what John was feeling as he sat in prison, we can be sure that he might have had some doubts about the Lord who tested his faith. …In fact, John gets a message out to Jesus asking, …Matthew 11:3… "Are you the Messiah we've been expecting, (Greek Are you the one who is coming?) or should we keep looking for someone else?"… As Christians we all will have our faith put to the test, and we will either falter in our faith or, like John, cling to Christ and stand firm in our faith to the end.……Fourthly,Live a Credible Lifestyle

Mark 1:6“His (John the Baptist)clothes were woven from coarse camel hair, and he wore a leather belt around his waist. For food he ate locusts and wild honey.“

At times we tend to think of John the Baptist as a wild man, one who would have been either an offense or a laughingstock to those he was trying to reach, but in reality quite the opposite was true. He was greatly respected and believed; some even wondered if he should have been worshiped as “that prophet” (i.e., the Messiah) or revered as Elijah …John 1:21 "Well then, who are you?" they asked. "Are you Elijah?" .."No," he replied."Are you the Prophet we are expecting?" .."No."…The point is, we should strive to package our timeless message of the gospel of Christ in such a way as to gain the greatest hearing and the most true converts. This is not to say that we should dress as John or Elijah did, for that would be bizarre in today’s world. Nor should we flaunt riches, for both styles detract from the message and induce ridicule and blasphemy.

Perhaps the principle is to dress and act as the hearers would expect a credible, sober conveyer of truth to behave. Let us be careful to “adorn the doctrine of God our Saviour in all things”

Titus 2:9-10Slaves must always obey their masters and do their best to please them. They must not talk back or steal, but must show themselves to be entirely trustworthy and good. Then they will make the teaching about God our Savior attractive in every way.

Attractive (adorn) translates the Greek word kosmeo, from which we get the word "cosmetics." This striking command enjoins us to make the doctrines of the Christian faith attractive to unbelievers by all our words and deeds. As far as physical appearance is concerned, our Christian cosmetics should be attractive, but not to attract people to ourselves. In so far as possible, we should attract people to Christ and His "doctrine." A neat, modest, cheerful appearance will contribute to this goal.

True and False Prophets :

Deut 18:15 Moses continued, "The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your fellow Israelites. You must listen to him.

Deut 18:18 I will raise up a prophet like you from among their fellow Israelites. I will put my words in his mouth, and he will tell the people everything I command him.

Malachi 4:5-6"Look, I am sending you the prophet Elijah before the great and dreadful day of the Lord arrives. His preaching will turn the hearts of fathers to their children, and the hearts of children to their fathers. Otherwise I will come and strike the land with a curse."

His “preaching the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins”

Luke 3:3Then John went from place to place on both sides of the Jordan River, preaching that people should be baptized to show that they had repented of their sins and turned to God to be forgiven.

His preaching was so effective that not only the common people,

Luke 3:10 The crowds asked, "What should we do?"

But also the publicansLuke 3:12Even corrupt tax collectors came to be baptized and asked, "Teacher, what should we do?"

AndsoldiersLuke 3:14 "What should we do?" asked some soldiers. John replied, "Don't extort money or make false accusations. And be content with your pay."

Evenpriests, and LevitesJohn 1:19This was John's testimony when the Jewish leaders sent priests and Temple assistants from Jerusalem to ask John, "Who are you?",

As well as the Pharisees and the SadduceesMatthew 3:7But when he saw many Pharisees and Sadducees coming to watch him baptize, he denounced them. "You brood of snakes!" he exclaimed. "Who warned you to flee God's coming wrath?

All came to hear his teaching. Many repented and were baptized.

Far from lacking credibility, John’s style was what was expected of a prophet. Indeed his ministry and message were in fulfillment of those of Elijah (Malachi 4:5-6 above) who himself “was an hairy man, and girt with a girdle of leather about his loins”

2 Kings 1:8They replied, "He was a hairy man, and he wore a leather belt around his waist.""Elijah from Tishbe!" the king exclaimed.

Even false prophets mimicked this style to gain credibility.

Zechariah 13:4On that day people will be ashamed to claim the prophetic gift. No one will pretend to be a prophet by wearing prophet's clothes.