A Man with a Message (Part 2 of 2)

Guest (Male): Churches often try to attract visitors by changing the music or offering new programs or amenities. John the Baptist offered none of that, not even seats, and yet vast crowds ventured into the desert to hear him preach. So what was the big attraction? Alistair Begg investigates that today on Truth For Life as we study Mark chapter one.
Alistair Begg: Well, here we have his arrival in verse four. We move from our first point, the promise of the messenger, to the arrival of the messenger. And so John came, verse four, baptizing in the desert region and preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. I would encourage you to read the comparative treatments of John as you find them in Matthew and Luke and also in the Gospel of John. When you put the pieces together—because remember, the Gospels are a bit like newspaper reporters. They all report similar material; sometimes they all report the exact same stuff, but they report it from their own vantage point and from their own perspective. But what you discover without question is that the arrival of this messenger was the arrival of a strange man. He was a strange man. He had a very interesting beginning. The details of his birth you can read in Luke chapter one, verse 41 and following. He had a very strange beginning, but also he was pretty strange by this point in his life. It's not usual for people to be identified by their clothes and their diet. Maybe the Old Testament prophets, but I can't think of many in the New Testament whose lifestyle is described for us in this way. And therefore, it must be of note. And verse six, we're told that he wore clothing made of camel's hair with a leather belt around his waist. Now, this is a kind of prophetic look that he had, if you like. People who said, "Why are you dressing up like that? Do you think you're one of the Old Testament prophets?" And he said, "Maybe." Because in one sense he was. He was like the last of the Old Testament prophets. He bridged the gap over the intertestamental period and now stood at the end of the line and the beginning of the line before the one that he announced was to appear. He's not only a strange man, but he's in a strange place. And so John came, notice verse four, baptizing in the desert region. The desert region. If you're going to start something, why wouldn't you start where the crowds are? Would make sense, wouldn't it? Why not go to the temple area? There are lots of people in the temple area. No, he goes to a desert region. One commentator describes it as a hot, uninhabitable depression. For the Jordan Valley started at a certain height below sea level and went down actually about 900 or 1,100 feet. And somewhere down in that Jordan Valley was where he had set up camp and where he was engaging in his ministry. In other words, when you think about the location, you say to yourself, no one will ever go there to hear him. Shouldn't he be in a nice suburban location, visible from the freeway, with good access and plenty of parking? I mean, that's the only way you could get it going, isn't it? If he had any sense at all, if he really is a forerunner, if he's an announcer, why wouldn't he go where there are people to announce to? What a strange place for such a strange man. And yet what we discover is that if numbers are anything to go by, he was the most successful preacher of his generation. In verse five, we're told—and even allowing for hyperbole, this is a dramatic statement—the whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem went out to him. They were all going. The word was going around. "Hey, let's go down into that hot, uninhabitable depression." "Why?" "Because John the Baptist is down there." "Who's he?" "Well, he wears this outfit, man, you've got to see it. And he's down there." "Yeah, I think you should come. I've been down a few times and I've invited a number of people to come. You should have been there the last time we were down because some of the Pharisees came down. Boy, did he give them a ticking off." "Really?" "Oh yeah, you won't believe it. He actually looked at some of them and he said, 'Hey, you brood of vipers! Who warned you to come down here and flee from the coming wrath?'" "Wow, he said that?" "Yeah." "Why?" "I don't know, I guess he doesn't like religious formalism. I guess he doesn't like hucksters. I guess he doesn't like the exploitation of religion." "Well, there's some wisdom in that. But how was he with other people?" "Oh, he was nice with other people. But the religious folks? Nah, he doesn't have a lot of time for them. I think you should come down." "Oh, well, I will come down then. I'll come with you sometime, certainly." And they go down and what do they discover? That not only are the people coming in droves, but they're actually paying attention to what he's saying. And one after another is going down into the Jordan and is being baptized by John. They're going down and they're actually responding to his message. What he was doing was essentially this: He was calling the people to return to God. Calling them to return to God, calling them to get ready to welcome Messiah's reign. He was calling them to turn their backs on their selfishness and on their sin. And he was calling them to bear testimony to their willingness to do so by being baptized. He was clear that what was happening in the baptism was not efficacious; it simply pointed to that which would be accomplished in the work of the Messiah. But nevertheless, it was an important step. And so, as he continues to preach and as he continues to urge them, he's absolutely straightforward. In moving to our third point, let us just say that the strangeness of it all does not account for his impact. It's not as if we can explain this away in terms of there was a freak show in the desert and people went down and they were excited about it for a little while. No, the effectiveness of the forerunner preparatory ministry of this character, John, can be found elsewhere. Where? Let me suggest to you thirdly, in the message of the messenger, or if you like, in the very characteristics of the way in which that message was conveyed by the messenger. Point number one: we have the promise of a messenger. Isaiah prophesied it all those years before. John does not jump out of nowhere; he is in fulfillment of the promises of God. Number two: his arrival is clear and straightforward. No one can mistake what he's saying. Religious people are offended by him and others are encouraged by him. And what was he saying? Look in verse seven. "After me will come one more powerful than I, the thongs of whose sandals I'm not worthy to stoop down and untie. I will baptize you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit." In other words, he knows his place. It's important to know your place, isn't it? If you've ever been a best man, I hope you remember to be the best man. You're not the groom. People are not really too interested in you. Don't turn it into the best man show. In fact, that's just a little word of caution to any of you who are about to be a best man for the first time. Let me warn you against thinking that this is your great moment to shine, let everybody know how good you are with your jokes and all the stories you're able to tell. We're not remotely interested. We came to see the bride mainly, and a little bit of the groom, but you, you're not even in the game. So I suggest you say as little as possible and get out as fast as you can. That's just from me; do with that what you choose. But anyway, I say that because John himself picks up that very picture in describing himself. He says, "You know, I am not here as the groom; I am here as the best man." In fact, I am here and I have significance in fulfilling the promises of God, but the one who comes after me is the significant one. "I," says John, "can only take you so far, but he will provide the very cleansing that is pictured in this baptism for repentance. The water that I am dealing with as you are plunged down into it is a symbol; the Holy Spirit who will be poured out upon you is the reality." And as he does this, nobody would be in any doubt concerning the integrity of John. His ministry was marked by integrity. It was marked by humility. By humility. When a little delegation was sent to him, John records, to inquire as to who he was, they came to him, and he did not fail to confess when they asked him who he was. He confessed freely, "I am not the Christ." "No, I know that you're looking for the Messiah, but I am not the Messiah." Well, then they asked him, "Then who are you? Are you Elijah?" Because the thought of Elijah being resurrected and reappearing was part of their thinking. "No," he says, "I'm not Elijah." "Well," they said, "Well then, are you the prophet?" Not a prophet, but the prophet. And he answered, "No." And finally they said, "Well then, who are you? Give us an answer to take back to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?" Which is a great question; most preachers love that question. "What do you say about yourself?" "Oh, well, let's just sit down for a little while and let me answer that for you. I have a tremendous amount to say about myself." Well, he said, "I really don't have much to say about myself. I can tell you that I'm a voice called to shout. I am a finger called to point, 'Behold, here he comes, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.' I am a light, but it's just like a very small flashlight pointing into the darkness and saying, 'In a moment or two will arrive one who is the very light of the world.'" "Now, the one who comes after me is the one who is significant. My significance only lies in serving his appearing." His preaching is marked by humility. His preaching is marked by authority. By authority. And his authority lies in being commissioned to do what he does. John begins, "There was a man sent from God." There was a man sent from God. That is the basic authority out of which pulpit ministry emerges. That there have been countless people who have banged up against a box—religious fellows speaking with emphasis and interested in doing a nice job for people in the community—that that has happened time and time and time again should not be confused with the nature of the call of God and the equipping of God to be a pastor-teacher to equip the saints and to evangelize those who as yet do not believe. And the reason that John could speak, for example, with such authority to the religious people was because he knew where he was and why he was where he was, and he knew who he wasn't. And it's because he knew who he wasn't that he could understand what he was. Until we understand what we're not, we cannot understand what we are. And his humility is ground into the nature of his authority. "How can he possibly say that?" somebody would have said. "How could he speak to those people like that? Those people are religious people! They are the ones that wear the gowns and the phylacteries on their heads. Did you hear what he said? 'You brood of vipers! Who warned you to come down here and try and run away from the wrath of God?' Where does he get that authority?" But authority it is. And the authority of contemporary preaching is not the authority that is found in the personality of the preacher. It's not an authority that is found in the forcefulness of the ability to marshal language and to convey ideas. No, the only authority is right here in this book. This is the basis of authority. This is what we must listen to. This is what we must pay attention to. Why? Because of what we said at the beginning: that God, in a way that is both mysterious and marvelous, has committed to communicating through human language. Through human language. And again, the Bible does not explicate that, but it makes it perfectly clear. And John understood that. Hence his authority. Also, his preaching and his message were marked by clarity. Clarity. He was clear. He wasn't some—ways like a mother who sees her two sons come home after they've been out rummaging around in the shrubbery and in the fields and doing whatever they do that boys like to do. And they just come in the back door, and she takes one look at them and she says, "Shower!" She doesn't say anything else; she just goes, "Shower!" Or, "Tub!" "It's the tub for you." And that's what John was doing. The people said, "What do we do now?" He said, "Tub!" "What?" "Yes, tub! All of you in the tub!" Nobody could be in any doubt. "Are we getting in or are we not getting in?" His message was absolutely clear. "I have a baptism for the forgiveness of sin. You know you have sins to be forgiven. Confess your sins, turn from them, and get in the tub." Clarity. People said, "I'm not going in there. I'm not going down in that Jordan River. I don't care who he is, and I don't care what his clothing is like. I'm heading back for Jerusalem as fast as I possibly can." And that's what happens every time the Bible is preached. There are those who say, "I have to get out of here post-haste. I don't know who that character thinks he is, trying to speak with such authority as if he had something special to say." Well, no, you see, the preacher understands—if he has a good wife, if he has children that will be honest with him and a couple of good friends—the preacher understands. And then the preacher understands, "How could God ever use me? Why would God ever use me?" At least that's how it's supposed to be. So he was clear. Absolutely clear. Clear about the need for repentance, clear about the means of forgiveness—the Lamb of God was coming—and clear about the indwelling power of God. Finally, his message was marked by urgency. By urgency. In other words, he didn't have a kind of laissez-faire, "take it or leave it" approach to his preaching. Many of you are in sales. People always joke with me; they say, "Well, you're in sales as well, aren't you?" I said, "No, I'm not in sales; I'm giving the stuff away." If I was in sales, it would be different. No, I'm not trying to sell you anything; I'll give you stuff. I'm here to let you know that this is free. This is a gift. But if I were in sales, I'd give it a pretty good go. And I admire those of you who do. But if you don't know how to close the deal, you shouldn't be in sales. You know, if you fish, you're supposed to catch fish, right? I mean, you don't go home—someone says, "Well, how did you do?"—you say, "Well, I didn't catch any, but I influenced a few." What possible good is that? Do you have fish in your bag or not? Don't tell me that you've got the finest product for roof treatments, and when I say to you, "Do I really need this treatment on my roof?" you say, "Well, I don't know. I mean, maybe you do, maybe you don't." I say, "Well, let me tell you right now, I don't." So pack up your display and head up the driveway, please. But if you tell me, "I'll tell you what, I can't imagine having a roof without this product on the roof, and last week I sold it to Mr. Jenkins, Mr. Williamson, and Mr. Harrison. And if you want to give them a ring, they'll tell you, 'Whoo, do they love their roof!' You can go and see it. In fact, I have pictures of it right here. This is where it was before I put it on, and then look after we put it on. I mean, what does that look like?" "Well, I've got to admit, it looks pretty good." "You ought to get yourself one of these roofs!" "Really?" "Absolutely!" Do you realize why people walk in and out of church buildings going, "I don't really know what went on there"? And I'll tell you why: because of an absence of integrity, an absence of humility, an absence of authority, an absence of clarity, and an absence of urgency. They walk out the door going, "I don't think the guy really cared. I don't think he cared one way or another whether I believe or whether I don't believe. I don't think he's passionate about it at all." Not John the Baptist. John the Baptist says, "Fellas, I don't want you leaving this hot, uninhabitable depression until you get down here in this Jordan with me. And I don't want any of you leaving Sunday by Sunday until you settle the matter of who Jesus is and why he came, until you recognize that what is on offer in the Bible is not a program for you to accept or a philosophy for you to adopt, but a person for you to love and to trust and to know. And that person is the one that John was announcing, and that person is the one that the Gospels announce, and that person is the one whose footsteps we will be following, if God enables us in the coming weeks to walk down the pathway of Mark's Gospel."
Guest (Male): You're listening to Alistair Begg on Truth For Life. Alistair returns in just a moment. John the Baptist certainly didn't bother with clever stories or try to entertain his listeners to make them feel good about themselves. He simply presented God's message with authority, clarity, and urgency. And that same strategy is just as essential today. It's something that those of us in ministry need to constantly remember. It's also the reason Alistair began hosting the Basics Conference more than 20 years ago, and it's why I'm looking forward to attending this year's Basics Conference coming up in a couple of weeks. If you are a man in pastoral ministry or church leadership, won't you join Alistair and me at the 2026 Basics Conference? We recognize that while pastoring a local church can be very rewarding, it's also challenging. And this is your chance to be refreshed and encouraged as you hear from Alistair along with guest speaker Hershael York about how Christ is your help in every situation. The conference takes place September 29th and 30th. It's at Crossroads Community Church in Valencia, California, and discounts are available for theology students. Find out more, register today at basicsconference.org. And looking a little further out on the calendar: are you planning already your 2027 vacation? Why not make it a fun adventure that also deepens your understanding of Scripture? Join Alistair for the Journeys of Paul Mediterranean cruise. Follow the Apostle Paul's footsteps through Malta, Crete, Ephesus, and more while enjoying fellowship and time in God's word with other Christians. The cruise departs on August 28th from Barcelona, Spain; it ends in Athens, Greece, on September 4th. To find out more, visit deeperfaithcruise.com. Now here's Alistair with a closing prayer.
Alistair Begg: Father, we thank you for the Bible, and we want to pause and acknowledge the mystery that is here when we take up this book. We're not in love with the Bible; we want to be in love with Jesus. We don't worship the Bible; we worship you, the living God. But we do recognize that in some amazing way you have chosen to use human language, both in its verbalized form and in its written form. And so as we begin these studies in the Gospel of Mark, studies in good news, as we reflect on the promise of this messenger—such a strange and striking individual—as we consider how he arrived and what that meant, and as we are caused to ponder the absolute clarity of his message, we pray that we, like many who listened to him preach, may also repent, may also find forgiveness, may also be prepared to bear fruit that befits our repentance, and that as we're baptized, pointing away from ourselves to Christ, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. So we commend one another to you as we go into this day, asking for your grace in the relaxing times, in the times of responsibility with loved ones and with friends, in the burdens that we feel for our children and our elderly parents, in the sense of sadness we feel for the loss of loved ones, in the often lonely afternoons of singleness. We look away to you, such a wonderful friend. Surely there is no friend like this lowly Jesus. No, not one. And so may the love of the Lord Jesus draw us to him, may the joy of Jesus fill our hearts, put a spring in our step and a smile on our faces even in sadness, and may the peace of the Lord Jesus guard and keep our hearts and minds when things threaten to undo us. And may grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit rest upon and remain with each of you now and forevermore. Amen.
Guest (Male): Thanks for listening. Hope you enjoyed the weekend and are able to worship with your local church. On Monday, we'll look at the baptism and temptation of Jesus. Why was it necessary? And what does it mean for us today? Join us as we find out. The Bible teaching of Alistair Begg is furnished by Truth For Life, where the learning is for living.