John the Baptist Part 7

VII. The beginning of John’s ministry was a watershed moment in God’s program. LUK 16:16. A. The prophesied kingdom of God was preached as being “at hand” and people were actively pressing into it by faith, repentance, confession of sins, and baptism. MAT 3:1-6; 21:31-32 c/w LUK 7:29-30. 1. This was a movement which was not political liberation or building/rebuilding/beautifying an earthly temple but spiritual reform. 2. The prophets had said that God would in time pour out His Spirit. ISA 32:14-15; 44:3; JOEL 2:28-29. 3. This season began with the revival of the spirit of prophecy (as noted earlier), became substantive with John’s ministry, and culminated in the coming of the Spirit at Pentecost. ACT 2:16-17. 4. Remember that John was not just a man with a message: he was sent from God (JOH 1:6), His messenger. MAR 1:2. B. The actual nature of John’s ministry to “...make ready a people prepared for the Lord” (LUK 1:17) is important. 1. Some Dispensationalists affirm that John’s ministry was to prepare the people to receive their long-awaited king who would restore the throne of David in Jerusalem in place of the Roman/Herodian rule and establish an earthly kingdom and empire. 2. Here are three reasons why such a theory is wrong: a. Scripture consistently declares that John came to prepare a people for a Messiah-Savior, not an earthly king. ACT 13:22-26. b. Until John rebuked Herod for personal sin, Herod heard him gladly (MAR 6:20), which he certainly would not have done if John were preaching about a new government to displace Herod’s. c. Christ later rebuked Israel’s leaders, not because they rejected John’s message of an earthly king, but because they had not believed John when he came to them “...in the way of righteousness...” (MAT 21:32). 3. John’s emphasis, as was Isaiah’s, was righteousness and he demanded repentance before baptism and afterwards. MAT 3:2, 8, 11. C. John’s ministry was not the first time that washing with water, even by immersion, was affirmed. 1. There were diverse washings under the law of Moses (HEB 9:10), such as the washing of priests for service, washing of garments and vessels, washing of sacrifices, washing of defiled or diseased bodies, etc. EXO 30:17-21; LEV 1:9; 14:8; 15:5. 2. There were priestly washings, and John was in the priestly line. But John’s ministry John the Baptist 6-29-25 Page 11  addressed the washing away of sin associated with repentance, per ISA 1:16-17. 3. “...John burst on the scene as a virtual mutant, for his rite of baptism, though outwardly similar to Temple lustrations, was wholly without precedent in its meaning...John's rite was so unique that he was named by it ('the Baptizer'), and Jesus clearly regards it as given to John by revelation from God (Mark 11:27-33).” (Walter Wink, The Oxford Companion to the Bible, p. 372) D. (MAR 1:4-5) John did baptize in the wilderness, and preach the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins. And there went out unto him all the land of Judea, and they of Jerusalem, and were baptized of him in the river of Jordan, confessing their sins. 1. remission: Forgiveness or pardon of sins (cf. 2) or other offences. 2. The Law provided for a priestly atonement for sin which required a carnal sacrifice at the tabernacle/temple and even confession, but not necessarily repentance. LEV 4:27-35; 5:5-8. 3. But John ministered without the temple, demanding repentance of those who believed his message both before and after their washing of baptism, and received all who willingly received his message, regardless of sex or rank. MAT 21:31-32; LUK 3:10-14. 4. John did not require a carnal sacrifice of which he, as the Aaronic priests did, could benefit personally by partaking of the sacrifice. LEV 6:25-26. 5. Nothing about John’s ministry implied a formulaic ritual to satisfy the Law by sacrifice without a genuine reform in the life of the sinner. 6. NOTE: There are two senses in which sins are remitted through Jesus Christ. a. The eternal penalty of sin for God’s people (death, eternal separation from God) has been taken away by the one-time blood-sacrifice of Jesus Christ when He fulfilled the will of the Father. HEB 9:12, 22-28; 10:9-18. b. The temporal burden and consequence of sins of God’s people (guilt, alienation, chastening) may be remitted through faith, repentance and baptism which joins one in accord and fellowship with God through Jesus Christ Who in faith forgives their future sins upon their confession. ACT 2:37-41; 22:16 c/w 1JO 1:7-9. c. John’s “...baptism of repentance for the remission of sins” (MAR 1:4) was the opening of the door of the new kingdom order which was grounded in Jesus Christ Who remits sins for God’s believing people in all nations. LUK 24:46-47; ACT 10:43. E. Noah was a link between two worlds (pre-flood, post-flood) and John was a link between two testaments/orders. 1. Noah’s experience of salvation by water was a figure of our salvation by Jesus Christ, which salvation is now figured by baptism. 1PE 3:20-21. 2. Noah was a righteous federal head for whose sake his house was saved. GEN 7:1 c/w ROM 5:18. 3. Noah was “buried” with his family in an ark/coffin from which they emerged intact to a new world. The ark was a womb which held the promise of life, even as Christ’s entombment was actually the promise of life to us. c/w COL 2:12-13. 4. John’s baptism was the opening of the aperture of the better Light. JOH 1:4-9. 5. With better light, one gets better pictures. Baptism is a better figure of our salvation by a righteous Man in Whose death, burial and resurrection/emerging we share. ROM 4:24-25. John the Baptist 6-29-25 Page 12