John 1:19-24 New Years!

The Voice Of One Calling In the Desert

John 1:19-24 NIU UBF 2010 Key Verse
Key Verse 23 Shp Kevin Jesmer 1/10/10

“John relied in the words of Isaiah the prophet, ‘I am the voice of one calling in the desert, ‘Make straight the way for the Lord.’”

I thank God for helping us to make Christian New Year’s resolutions for 2010. Few and fewer people make New Years resolutions. If they do it is to loose weigh, exercise more or stop smoking. Those who make them 68% make it part way through the year. Of those, 38% don’t even make it out of the gate. I wonder how many people make spiritual New Year’s resolutions. Not many. But we make it main part of our lives in our ministry. I am happy about that. Do you remember our 2009 Key verse? It was Deuteronomy 6:5, “Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.” Our 2010 prayer topics 1) Acts and Jonah messages 2) 30 1:1 Bible studies 3) 20 regular Sunday attendants 4) two 1 Samuel Bible Schools 5) 12 disciples of Jesus in 2009 6) Double our ministry by 2010. 7) Participate in world mission. They weren’t all answered in obvious ways but in so many other ways they were answered. That is the discussion of another message. This year we chose John 1:23 as our key verse. It was so important that we could find clear identity and clear purpose on our lives of faith, based on the word of God. John the Baptist is an excellent example of such person. May God bless us with a clear identity and a clear mission based on the Bible.

Before Jesus appeared on the scene as the Savior there was another man, whose name was John the Baptist who captured all the people’s attention. The eyes of all Israel were on him. People rallied to him to listen to what he had to say and to ask for his blessing.

But not everyone in Israel was happy with John. There were a group of religious leaders who suspected that John was a fraud. Look at verse 19, “19Now this was John's testimony when the Jews of Jerusalem sent priests and Levites to ask him who he was.” These were the religious leaders of the time. They were not necessarily spiritual. For most, it was a job where they enjoyed prestige and authority in that theocratic society. John was drawing people away from the Temple and he was exposing their hypocrisy. If John became too popular they would be out of a job and they and their children would have to compete like everyone else in the midst of a national recession. John was a threat to them and their nationalistic pride. So they hated him passionately.

But John did not care about such things as popularity and power. If he did he surely could have grabbed it at this time, for ten’s of thousands of people thought that he could have been the Christ. But John’s heart was fixed only on God and he spent his life preaching the word of God to people who had been starving to hear it. Let’s see what kind of man, John was.

Part l: A Humble Man

First, John was a humble man. Let’s read verses 19-21. “Now this was John's testimony when the Jews of Jerusalem sent priests and Levites to ask him who he was. He did not fail to confess, but confessed freely, ‘I am not the Christ.’ They asked him, ‘Then who are you? Are you Elijah?’ He said, “I am not.’ “Are you the Prophet?” He answered, ‘No.’” These verses reveal that John was humble. He tried hard to not bring glory to himself. John’s humility is described in many ways in the Bible. For example, John taught the people the truth of about sin. When people came out to him from Jerusalem and Judea and the whole region of the Jordan, he preached the baptism of repentance, and they repented. In Matthew 3:7-10, John rebuked the Pharisees and Sadducees to repent to of their hypocrisy and self righteousness. According to Luke, John the Baptist urged to the rich people to repent and share what they had, especially their food, with the poor. To the tax collectors he said, “Don’t collect any more than you are required to.” To the soldiers he said, “Don’t extort money and don’t accuse people falsely—be content with your pay.” (Lk 3:11-14) When they repented he baptized them in the Jordan River.

In John’s time, as in all times, people’s main problem of life is not social inequality nor financial insecurity nor that “other person” whom they just can’t stand, but their own personal sin problem. This is the problem that robs us of all joy and sense of victory in life. That is the problem which causes people to be separated from God and destined for condemnation. And there is only one way to solve this serious life or death problem. It is to repent of our sins and put our faith in Jesus.

Repentance sounds a little out of date nowadays. People are so concerned about being seeker friendly and not turning anyone off. But, just as our sins are very up to date, repentance is also up to date and vital. Repentance is turning to Jesus for guidance and comfort. Repentance is the only way to accept God’s King Jesus into our hearts. The message of repentance does not always turn people off; in fact John’s message of repentance turned multitudes of peoples’ hearts on to God. It proved to be the ultimate seeker friendly message.

So how is John’s message of repentance linked to his humbleness? It takes great humility and courage for a man or woman of God to tell another person to repent and put his or her faith in Jesus. He or she has to be humble enough to honor God and his word above themselves and their own ideas in order to preach an unpopular message.

John was also humble in another way as well. Look at verses 19-21 again. He was the most popular and powerful man in the nation, even more powerful than King Herod. But when asked who he was, he did not flaunt his popularity. His answer to them was brief and did not center around himself. It was an answer designed to point away from himself and towards the one is really the center of all things…Jesus.

Part ll: A Man Of God’s Word

Second, John was a man of God’s word. Read verses 22-23. “Finally they said, ‘Who are you? Give us an answer to take back to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?’ John replied in the words of Isaiah the prophet, ‘I am the voice of one calling in the desert, “Make straight the way for the Lord.’” When the authorities pressed him to say anything about himself, John still said nothing about himself. Instead, he quoted the word of God from Isaiah 40:3. Ever since he was a young man, John lived in the desert. There he lived a very pure and poor life. His diet consisted of locusts and wild honey. He wore practical, inexpensive clothes, made out camel hair. While in the desert, he studied the word of God deeply and intensely. He memorized Scripture. He hung out with monastic Bible scholars. (Essences) He thought about the deep things of God, while gazing in the desert sky. With such an excellent attitude towards spiritual things, the word of God came to John’s heart. At thirty years old he began his ministry. The word of God blessed John’s life in several ways.

First, John found his identity in God’s word. Look at verse 23, ““John relied in the words of Isaiah the prophet, ‘I am the voice of one calling in the desert, ‘Make straight the way for the Lord.’” John saw that he was a not just a man struggling to survive in a harsh environment. He was actually a voice calling out to others in a desert. A desert is a very harsh environment. The hot desert sun can reach temperature exceeding 120 degrees F. There are scorpions and snakes. People wander in the desert, looking for water, and become delirious. Some die of thirst.
Our nation can be like a spiritual desert. Amos 8:11-13 explains why, "The days are coming," declares the Sovereign LORD, "when I will send a famine through the land— not a famine of food or a thirst for water, but a famine of hearing the words of the LORD. 12 Men will stagger from sea to sea and wander from north to east, searching for the word of the LORD, but they will not find it. 13 "In that day "the lovely young women and strong young men will faint because of thirst.” Some may ask how can there be a famine of the word of God? We have so many churches. We have millions Christian books and series after series. How can there be a famine of the word of God? I will answer this question with a question. How can a person die of thirst while floating in an ocean? They are surrounded by water, but if they can not get that water into their bodies in meaningful ways, then that person will surely die of thirst. The same is with the word of God. We can turn off the Christian tv or radio channels. We can ignore Christians books. We can skip personal Bible reading and going to church. The pastor’s messages can fall on habitual, deaf ears. In this way we can be surrounded by Christianity and suffer spiritual thirst. Unless the word of God penetrates our hearts and reaches our souls, then we are not being nourished by it.
Our young people are very thirsty. They do not know the word of God. I have five kids who are navigating the public school system. All of their friends are either non Christian or attend church with their families. But it is very sad to say that, over the years, almost every friend has shown almost no spiritual desire to know Jesus or follow Jesus. It is very difficult to find one person who wants to study the Bible. Those who invite students regularly say that the ratio of people who accept an invite to Bible study is about 1 in 100. If there is someone who is a little tender hearted towards Jesus and the Bible they are usually too busy for any type of meaningful fellowship in the word of God. Our young people are indeed spiritually thirsty.
Think about what it means to be thirsty in a desert. Imagine taking an ill fated hiking trip to Death Valley. You see a beautiful expanse of desert and you want to go hiking and explore and so you take a big chug of water and a gallon jug thinking that would be enough and you set our on your hike. All is well at the beginning. You check under rocks for lizards, you touch a thorny cactus. Your mind is on the thrill of the hike. But soon the sun begins to affect you. You run out of water. You get cotton mouth. Soon all you can think about is a cool drink of water. You begin to stumble hoping that you are not too far away base camp. Let’s say you get lost and your condition begins to deteriorate. You see mirages in the distance. Your lips chap and eventually you can not carry on. You pray for help longing to hear a voice call out, “Hey! Can I help you?”
Our young people are exactly like this. They set out in life thinking that the worldly water is enough to get then through. They are filled with their own hopes and dreams and reveling in new found independence. They are happy for a time, but soon the heat of living in this world begins to beat down upon their heads. Their youthful hopes and exuberance is not enough to sustain them when faced with emotional, financial, scholastic, relational challenges and the passage of time. The things that caught their attention eventually become meaningless. They become thirsty for something more. Their hearts feel dry and lifeless. They stagger and faint spiritually not even knowing why. They symptoms they feel are the same as those who experience extreme thirst. Such is anyone who is thirsty because of no word of God in their hearts.
But there is a solution to our spiritual thirst. The solution is Jesus. Jesus once said in John 7:37-38, “37On the last and greatest day of the Feast, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, "If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. 38Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him." Jesus boldly invites people to come to him to satisfy their thirstiness. Jesus will not only quench their hearts, but the water he gives will overflow like a stream. Jesus once came to a Samaritan woman who was very thirsty. She was staggering and fainting because she was thirsty for love and searching for the true object of her worship. She had been worshipping men, marrying and divorcing five of them and now living with a boyfriend. She was staggering, on the verge of falling, never to rise again. But Jesus saw her condition and came to her with the words of life. He said to her in John 4: 13, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” The woman eventually accepted Jesus’ gracious gift. She became a changed woman. She became very happy, and tossing her water jar aside she ran to tell the other villagers about Jesus. (Jn 4:28) Praise Jesus for quenching our thirsty hearts and filling it with the joy of life.
But John held onto his identity despite of the spiritual desert of the world. Look at verse 23a again, “I am the voice of one calling in the desert…” John had a clear identity in the word of God. He did not just see himself and dusty monk living in the desert of Judea. Nor did he see himself as just one person helpless to effect any change in this world. No! He saw himself as a godly voice for the people in his generation. Identity is very important. Before meeting Jesus I did not have a godly identity. I lived to please my parents and follow the life track that Manitoba society was telling me to follow. I felt that I had nothing important to say. And I was right. When I had no clear identity I lacked self confidence and stammered a lot. Speech therapists couldn’t help me. But when I met Jesus I had a clear identity. I realized that I too, am a type of voice for the people of my generation. I am servant of Christ entrusted with the very words of God. I am a shepherd and Bible teacher for campus students trying to help them absorb the word of God in meaningful and fruitful ways. I have the most important message in the world and people want to hear it. When I held onto this identity then my life long stammering problem stopped and I could speak clearly. In 2010 we need to have a clear identity of who were are and what we are doing. Are we simply Christians trying to survive in this hard world or are we “A voice” called to speak the word of God to the people in our sphere of influence. If you see yourself as “a voice” to the people of your generation then equip yourself with the words of God, through deep and sincere Bible study and begin to speak those words to thirsty souls in meaningful and life giving ways.

Second, John found his mission in the word of God. Look at verse 23b, “…‘Make straight the way for the Lord.’” John knew what he was called to do. It was not ambiguous and vague. It was a clear mission from the word of God itself. He was to make straight the way for the Lord to enter into peoples’ hearts. The way, refers the way of a king. Jesus is a king that wants to enter into the hearts of his people and sit on the thrown of their hearts, where he reigns in majesty. John accomplished his mission by preaching a baptism of repentance. He used every fiber of his being to point others to Jesus. (Jn 1:29)

Let’s think about his mission. First, “Isaiah 40:3 reads, “A voice of one calling: In the desert prepare the way for the Lord; make straight in the wilderness a highway for our God.” But sometimes the way of the Lord is not straight. There are valleys of self condemnation, despair and depression. There are mountains of pride and unbelief. There are rough patches, rough with bitterness, anger and other vices. God does not want anything to impede his coming into his peoples’ hearts. He wants the way straight and clear for the King Jesus. John’s mission was to make the way clear. Through the repentant message that he preached the way was made straight for multitudes of people to accept Jesus. Just as in John’s time, when our young people accept the word of God and repent then “Every valley shall be raised up, every mountain and hill made low; the rough ground shall become level, the rugged places a plain. And the glory of the Lord will be revealed, and all mankind will see it….” (Isa 40:4) Jesus will enter into their hearts and lives.

Most people would agree that God has a plan for their lives. But most people are not sure of what they should be doing according to the word of God. If we want to be effective in revealing the glory of the Lord to others (and seeing it for ourselves) we need to find our mission in the word of God and be faithful to it. I thank God for helping me to find my mission in the word of God. Prior to meeting Jesus my mission in life was to become a chemist in some lab, ride a Harley, study taekwondo, hang out at smoke filled bars and be an expert in 70’s and 80’s rock music. That was my life mission. But when a straight path was made for me through the prayers and Bible teaching of Msn Ruth Hwang, I could accept Jesus. I had a new mission. I accepted Jesus’ world mission command in Matt 28:19-20, “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." Based in John 21:17, at a “Do You Love Me?” Conference, I accepted the call to live as a shepherd of God’s flock. After reflecting on God’s leading through writing a 100 page life testimony I was confident that God was calling me to campus mission, to live as a campus shepherd, teaching the word of God through 1:1 Bible study. This clear identity has been a power source in my life. We can not be vague in our mission of life. We need to find a clear mission in the word of God. Then we can have strength in walk with Jesus and overcome the world.

Through this message we learn how to live a victorious life of faith like that of John the Baptist. It is to be a humble person who only wants to advertise Jesus in and through their lives; to be humble enough to preach the unpopular, but fruitful message of repentance unto faith; to find our identity and our mission in the word of God. When we do, our lives of faith will change. No longer will be just Christian’s struggling to survive in this dry and weary land. We will have the confidence and the peace that we are fulfilling the very purpose of our creation. We can have strength to live a vibrant life of faith in this generation. We can be the small voice that our young people really need to hear, “Hey! Is everything alright? Can I help you? Let me tell you about Jesus.” It all begins when you hear Jesus’ voice in his word and make straight path in your own heart.

NIU 2010 Prayer Topics.

1. For each person to have a clear identity and mission based on the word of God.
2. To be voices calling out in the spiritual desert of NIU through 1:1 Bible study
3. To make the way straight for Jesus to enter into our own hearts
4. 24 1:1 Bible studies per week 5. 20 regular Sunday worship attendants
6. 12-disciples 7. 6-Bible teachers. 8. Three shepherds to live common life at the Bible house
9. To co-work with Triton and DuPage UBF Ministries 10. To have two Bible Schools
11. Tim and Andrew to do well in the School and move on to the next level.
12. Jesmer kids to be good witnesses through their Middle school and HS Bible clubs
13. Quality Spiritual life at the Bible House. 14. Joyful Christian fellowship 15. Dynamic
Christian presence on all of our campus’ 16. Daily-daily bread/Bible reading/prayer
17: Double our leaders and Sunday Attendants by 2010 18. To participate in World Mission























It’s no wonder why John’s life was so powerful. He was powerful because he bound himself to the word of God, and remained humbly submissive to the word of God. With confidence then, we see that true power is not a power which the world imparts. But that true power and influence comes when a man or woman humbles themselves and serve the word of God.