James, thank you for your ministry and song to our hearts this evening. Glad that you found your way to Lurgan. It's not that big, but just a wee bit bigger than Randallstown, and we're delighted that you've been with us tonight. If you have a copy of the Word of God with you tonight, for turning to Matthew's Gospel, chapter 3, and reading the whole chapter, the Gospel by Matthew, chapter 3, and reading the whole chapter, And I want to talk to you tonight about a powerful preacher of the past. A powerful preacher from the past. An open air preacher. A preacher to whom there were thousands, possibly hundreds of thousands of people came out to hear as he preached by the River Jordan. And there are three things that I want to say about this preacher tonight. I want to talk about the might of the preacher. And then I want to talk about the manner of the preacher. And then I want to talk about the message of the preacher. And we're reading in Matthew's Gospel, chapter 3, and we're reading at verse 1. Let's just bow in a word of prayer before we read God's Word. Our Father, we thank You for the ministry and song to our hearts this evening. We thank You, Lord, for saving James. Thank You for making him a trophy of grace. Thank you for redeeming them by precious blood. And our Father, what you have done for James, you can do for others in our gathering this evening. O God's Son, perhaps. some who are under the control of sin and Satan, some who, like him, are under the control of alcohol, maybe some under the control of drugs and cigarettes and so many other things, immorality. Father, we thank You tonight that You can break the power of cancelled sin and You can set the prisoner gloriously free. And Father, we pray tonight that as we turn to Thy Word, Lord, that we might know the enabling power of the Spirit of God And Lord, that You would speak both to saint and to sinner alike. And O God, for the child of God, that You will stir our hearts in these days and draw us closer to the Savior. And our Father, for those who are with us, still not seen, Lord, that this may be their night. For Christ's sake. Amen. In Matthew's Gospel, chapter 3, in those days came John the Baptist preaching in the wilderness of Judea and saying, Repent ye, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. For this is he that was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make us pass straight. And the same John had his raiment of camel's hair, and a leatheren girdle about his loins, and his meat was locusts and wild honey. Then went out to him Jerusalem and all Judea and all the region round about Jordan. Some Bible scholars believe there were as many as 300,000 souls went out to hear the Baptist preach. And they were baptized of him in Jordan, confessing their sins. But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees come to his baptism, he said unto them, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bring forth therefore fruits, meet for repentance. And think not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father. For I say unto you that God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham. And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees. Therefore every tree which bringeth not forth good fruit is shewn down and cast into the fire. I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance, but he that cometh after me is mightier than I. Whose shoes I am not worthy to bear, he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire. Whose fan is in his hand, and he will thoroughly purge his floor and gather his wheat into the garner, but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire. Then cometh Jesus from Galilee to Jordan unto John to be baptized of him. But John forbade him, saying, I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me. And Jesus answering said unto him, Suffer it to be sooner, for thus it becometh us to fulfill all righteousness. Then he suffered him. And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water, and lo, the heavens were opened unto him. And he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon him. And lo, a voice from heaven sang, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. George Cutting, the author of that little booklet, Safety, Certainty and Enjoyment, was one day cycling past a small cottage in an orphan village And as he cycled past that little cottage, he felt it right to shout these words, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world. The impulse came again, and he shouted the second time the same words. Six months later, he was visiting from house to house in that area, and he called upon this little cottage. And he asked the good lady of the house if she were saved. And she said to him, Sir, six months ago I was in great distress of soul. And while I was pleading for God's help, a voice cried, Behold the Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world. And when I asked God to repeat what He had said, the voice came again. George Cutting was a voice. He was a voice through which God could speak. He was a channel through which Christ could be exalted. Many years ago, a farmer came into London to hear the great preachers of his day. He wanted to hear Joseph Parker in the City Temple, and he wanted to hear C. H. Spurgeon in the Metropolitan Tabernacle. On Sunday morning, he went to hear Dr. Joseph Temple. And as he came out of that service that morning, he was heard to say, what a great preacher Joseph Parker is. He went to Spurgeon's Tabernacle that evening. And as he came out of that service, he was heard to say, what a great Savior Jesus Christ is. Charles Hatton Spurgeon was a voice He was a voice through which God could speak. He was a channel through which Christ could be exalted. John the Baptist was that. The task of the gospel preacher is to uplift Christ, to exalt the Savior, and that's what John the Baptist did. His testimony was never egocentric. It was never self-centered. His testimony was always Christ-centered. He was always pointing people away from himself to the Lord Jesus. I want to ask you tonight as a Christian, is that what you do? When you get into a pulpit, do you talk more about yourself, your family, than you do about Christ? John didn't. And of him the Lord Jesus said, among them that are born of women there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist. What a spiritual giant of a man he was! His dress, his diet, his demands made his hearers think of the prophet Elijah. His voice thundered until the windows of conscience rattled in everyone's soul. His eyes flashed like lightning, seeming to read the secrets of everyone's heart. Multitudes heard about this new prophet, and they flocked out to Jordan to hear him. The religious establishment of his day investigated him. They disliked him. They feared him. They rejected him. They were denounced by him. Herod on his throne was afraid of him, born of godly parents. He was a spiritful man. He was a messenger who declared the coming of Jesus Christ. And he was a man who, because of his unflinching loyalty to Jesus Christ, was beheaded. When I think of this powerful preacher from the past tonight, I want you to see first of all what I have called the might of the preacher. The might of the preacher. For John the Baptist was a mighty preacher. My dear friends, is that not the kind of preaching that we need today? What kind of preaching do we need in the 21st century? We need the same kind we have always needed. Nothing important has changed. Just because we've split the atom and sent a man to the moon doesn't mean that we need a new kind of Christianity. We've got a new kind of preacher in some quarters today, but we don't really need him. A preacher may be wrapped in robes of learning. His study walls may be decked with diplomas. His home may be filled with travel souvenirs from many lands. He may wear all the trappings of church pageantry and prestige, but he cannot function without unction. My dear Christian friends tonight, that is why I plead for your prayers, that I might know this enabling ministry, this energizing ministry of the Spirit of God, There were three factors in John's life that made him a mighty, powerful preacher. First of all, he was separated unto God. He was separated unto God. Luke, speaking of John the Baptist, says this, He shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and he shall drink neither wine nor strong drink. Incidentally, I wonder, are you addicted to drink tonight? I wonder, like James. Wonder, is alcohol being part and parcel of your life? Wonder, is it dominating you tonight? Wonder, is it controlling you tonight? I wonder, has it the mastery over you tonight? And maybe there's a yearning in your heart, you long to get free tonight, but you're in bondage. You see, the fact that John was not to touch drink indicates to me that he was a Nazarite. And Azarite was simply a person who had dedicated himself to God. He had separated himself unto the Lord. He had cut himself off from other things so that he could give himself entirely and unreservedly and specifically unto God. He had to abstain from wine and strong drink. In other words, his body had to be kept in subjection. Abstaining from wine and strong drink, John the Baptist was proclaiming to the world that his appetites were on the altar for God. Another thing about a Nazarite was this. He had to let his hair grow. No razor was to come upon his head. You see, he was proclaiming to the world not only that his appetites were on the altar for God, but that his appearance was on the altar for God. And then he had to avoid all contact with the dead. He was to come at no dead body. He was proclaiming to the world that his affections were on the altar for God. And in John the Baptist, we have the picture of a life separated unto God, pliant to the least indication of His will, quick to catch the smallest whisper of His voice, separated unto God. What about you tonight as a Christian? Is your body as a child of God in subjection to God? Do you treat it tonight as the temple of the Holy Ghost? Are your appetites, your desires on the altar for God? What about your appearance tonight as a child of God? Have you left your dress? Have you left your appearance on the altar for God? The Bible tells us that we're to dress with decency, we're to dress with modesty. Paul says in like manner also that women adorn themselves in modest apparel. The word modest means well-arranged, decent, proper, becoming orderly. The word apparel means to a garment let down, a garment that's flowing loose. And the emphasis is on a garment that does not accentuate the precise figure of a woman's body. I wonder as a Christian tonight, Is your appearance on the altar for God? What about your affections? Is God first in your heart? Are you separated unto God? John was a mighty preacher because he was separated unto God. John was a mighty preacher because he was strengthened by God. Luke says of him, Elizabeth and Zacharias died when John was a young boy. The boy had grown into adolescence. He was quite able to care for himself, and Dr. Luke says the hand of the Lord was with him. He was fatherless. He was brotherless. He was sisterless. He was a lone man passed into the wilderness, and his diet was locusts and wild honey, and his dress was a coat of camel's hair and a leather belt. I've often been in that Judean desert. I know what it's like down there below Jerusalem. I know what it's like as you make your way down, down, down, down to the Dead Sea. I wonder, can you see John the Baptist out in the Judean desert? My Christian friend tonight, listen, do you want to make a mark for God in your generation? Well, do you ever take a look at how God trains His servant? It was through loneliness and solitude that John became strong in his communion with God. For the man who is to take a high place before his fellow man must take a low place before his God. John Wells thought the day he spent, if he did not spend eight to ten hours in communion with God. David Brainard, tremendous missionary to the North American Indians, often went out into the forests of North America and soaked himself in prayer, Christmas Evans, walked the hills and valleys of Wales, touching the throne of God. Do you realize tonight that if you would do much for God, you must be much with God? Do you realize tonight if you would witness in public, you must have times alone with God in private? I tell you, this was a mighty preacher because he was separated unto God, because he was strengthened by God. Thirdly, because he was sent from God. There was a man sent from God whose name was John. He just came straight out of the presence of God. And that gave him his authority. And that gave him his power. He was a man sent from God. A man who laboured under a strong sense of conviction. I tell you tonight, That's what a preacher must be before he begins the task of preaching. Sent from God. God said to Jeremiah, Before I formed thee in the valley, I knew thee. And before thou camest out of the womb, I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations. The prophet Amos, speaking of his call, said, I was no prophet. I was no preacher. Neither was I a prophet's son. I was a herdsman. I was a farmer. I was a gatherer of sycamore fruit. The Lord took me. The Lord said unto me, Go. Now preacher tonight, have you been sent from God? You see, the only thing that will keep your hand to the plough when the going gets tough is to know that you've been sent from God. Now, look at this man tonight. Separated unto God. Strengthened by God. Sent from God. The might of the preacher. Look at the manner of the preacher. You say, how did John the Baptist work and witness and minister and preach? Well, my dear friends, when I look at his life, it was marked by consistency. His character is brought before us in chapter 3 and verse 4. And the same John had his raiment of camel's hair, he had a leather girdle about his loins, his meat was locusts and wild honey. John wasn't making a fashion statement. His camel robe was worn by the very poorest of the poor and his belt was simply a leather thong. His food wasn't very exciting either. Some of you eat out a lot. John's idea of eating out was to catch a few grasshoppers and visit the local beehive for dessert. But John knew what he was doing. in wearing that robe of camel's hair, in wearing that leather thong. My dear friends, he assumed the dress and the style of the ancient prophet Elijah, who had called his people to national repentance. John's dress, John's lifestyle, John's demeanor, John's deportment was a protest against the godlessness of his day and a call to separate from sin, to repent and live a life focused on God. You see, the thing that made John great was this. There was no discrepancy between the messages that he preached and the life that he lived. You want to be an effective witness for God? Well, then you need to be someone who embodies the message. You see, nothing will make our words penetrate more than that which is true in us and which comes from our hearts with total sincerity. I wonder, are you making it possible for others to believe in Jesus Christ by what they see in you, by what they hear from you? I wonder, is there a consistency about your experience with God? This man came on the scene of time and he was marked by consistency, and then he was marked by humility. You recall how he described himself? You know, when they sent the officialdom out from Jerusalem, they said to John the Baptist, What sayest thou of thyself? And John the Baptist said, I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness. He said, Don't look at me. Look at Christ. Enthrone Christ in your life. He's the one that you need. He must increase. I must decrease. Is that the deep longing of your soul tonight? Is that your desire? Does the glory of Christ mean more to you than your own glory? Does the glory of Christ mean more to you than the glory of a so-called denomination? Is your consuming desire the glory and honor of your Savior? You know, when William Carey was dying, he said to the friends that had gathered round the bed, when I die, don't talk about William Carey. Don't speak about William Carey. Don't talk about William Carey's work. Talk about William Carey's Saviour. I desire alone that Jesus Christ might be magnified. John the Baptist was marked by consistency, by humility, by audacity. There was a boldness. There was a fearlessness about this man's preaching. All kinds of folks were coming to hear John the Baptist preach. And as he looked out one day, he saw the Pharisees and the Sadducees coming into the wilderness, and he called them a bunch of snakes. He would have been too fearless for some of you. He said, You are just a generation of thy kind. I tell you, that's not how to win friends and influence people to get what you want. He looked into the face of King Herod one day, who was committing adultery with Herodias, and he looked into Herod's eyes and he says, Sir, it is not lawful for you to have her. What courage this man had! And we need people of courage today, people who are willing to take their stand for Jesus Christ. Young folk tonight, can I encourage you to take your stand for God, for Christ, for right, for morality, for decency, for purity in this country of ours. I'd like to have been at Worms on the 18th of April, 1521, when Martin Luther stood against his world. And there before him were read the princes and theologians of the Roman Catholic Church, and along with them Charles, heir of a long line of sovereigns, and to the questioning of John, Archbishop of Trier. And his antagonist, Luther, said this, I do not accept the authority of popes and cardinals, for they have contradicted each other. My conscience is captive to the word of God. I cannot, I will not, recant anything, for to go against conscience is neither right nor safe. God help me. Here I stand. I can do no other." He nailed his thesis to the door. Do we not need more men like Martin Luther today? Do we not need more men like John the Baptist? Men of courage? Men of conviction? Men who believe in absolutes, black and white, in or out. You say, what's the message of the preacher? What did the preacher preach about? Of whom did John the Baptist preach? Will he expose sin? The sin of self-righteousness. I wonder, dear friend, tonight, has sin been exposed in your life? What about your personal sin tonight? Wonder am I speaking to someone in the meeting tonight? And you know, you're like these folk that John the Baptist confronted. You're like the scribes and the Pharisees. You're marked by self-righteousness. Oh, you're so respectable, and you're so moral, and you're so upright, and you're so clean living. And maybe you're going down the broad road tonight, and you're on the clean side of the broad road, and you feel that somehow your clean living and your self-righteousness will commend you to the God of heaven. I want to assure you tonight that the Bible says that all your righteousnesses are just like a filthy rye. The very best that you and I can do tonight is just like a filthy rag in the sight of a holy, pure God. John the Baptist exposed the sin of self-righteousness, and then he exposed the sin of immorality. Can you imagine, Herod? riding along in the chariot one day with the beautiful Herodias by his side, and running alongside that chariot was John the Baptist with the cloak of camel's hair, with the leather belt, and he's shouting into the chariot, it is not lawful for you to have her. Herod decided one day to go down to the shopping centre, and right there in the middle of the shopping centre was John the Baptist. And He was yelling at the top of His voice, Herod, it's not lawful for you to have her. I wonder, are you like Herod tonight? I wonder, have you been unfaithful to your marriage vows? I wonder, is your married life tonight on the rocks because of adultery, because of immorality, because of loose living? You say, preacher, will Christ pardon the likes of me? Of course He will. The Bible says, the blood of Jesus Christ, His Son, cleanseth us from all sin. It doesn't matter, my dear friend, how deep-dyed your sin might be, the blood that flowed from Calvary is able to wash them all away. John exposed sin. My friends, John expressed danger. Think of those tens of thousands who are coming out to Him in the wilderness of Judea, and He is exhorting them, flee from the wrath to come. Dear unconverted friend, tonight there is a day of judgment coming. There is a day of wrath coming for you. The Bible says, God has appointed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom He hath ordained. The Bible says it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this, the judgment. And if you're not saved tonight, if you're not a Christian without Christ, you're facing judgment, you're facing wrath, you're facing hell, you're facing the very lake of fire. You say, Preacher, is there any hope? Thank God there is. You see, John not only came on the scene of time, he not only exposed sin, he not only expressed danger, he exalted Christ. Standing one day on the banks of Jordan, he cried, Behold the Lamb of God, who taketh away the sin of the world. Man cannot take away sin. Angels cannot take away sin. Is there someone who can save us tonight from our sin? Yes. From the heights of glory. To the depths of awful shame my Savior came. He stooped to where sin was. He allowed our sin to be led upon Him. He bare our sins in His own body on the tree. He bled for them at Calvary. Today Christ breaks the power that cancels sin. He sets the prisoner free. His blood can make the foulest clean. His blood avails for thee. Have your sins been forgiven? Has the slate been wiped clean? Have you found pardon through the blood of Christ? Can you imagine what would happen if a long-haired yippee came into this pulpit tonight, he's just dressed in a camel robe and a belt around his waist? That was John the Baptist. And as He came on this scene of time, He is exposing sin. He is expressing danger. He is exalting Christ. He is exhorting souls to flee. Have you fled from the place of danger? Have you fled to the place of deliverance? The open arms of Christ? He exhorted souls to forsake. He says, The kingdom of God is at hand. The kingdom of heaven is at hand. Repentance, my dear friends, is just a change of heart and mind that results in a change of lifestyle. I wonder, have you ever admitted that you're a sinner? Have you ever admitted that you've broken the law of God? Have you ever made a U-turn on the road of life? Have you turned from sin? That's repentance. Have you turned to Christ? That's faith. Two sides of conversion. Two sides of the one coin. God is exhorting you tonight to flee. And God is exhorting you tonight to forsake. And God is exhorting you tonight to focus, John says, behold the Lamb of God. In other words, take your eyes off everything else and everyone else and get your eyes upon the Christ who died for you at Calvary. Maybe you've been here tonight. Maybe over these past few days God's been speaking to you. Maybe you've been trying to look at yourself. You're looking at your church. You're looking at your wife. You're looking at some Christian. Oh, my dear friend, tonight look to Christ and live. He's the only one that can meet you at the point of your need. Several years ago in Pennsylvania, a small town was situated near a river. just above the river, and the town was this large dam built across the river. This dam was holding back tremendous volume of water. On occasion the rain became so terrible and heavy, the water rose to a height that was unknown in the town before. The engineers come out from the city, they were anxiously watching and waiting and wondering and worrying, will the dam hold? Suddenly they saw a crack in the dam. And they raced into the town below. And the engineers from the city gave warning. And the word was passed around the townsfolk that they were to flee. Get out. Flee from this place of danger. Flee to the hills, to the mountains surrounding this little town. But you know, my dear friends, the dam had been there for many years. And the townsfolk, they'd lived a lifetime in that place. And they were saying to themselves, what do these young whippersnappers from the city know about it? And they refused. And they refused, many of them, to leave with those who ran for safety. And suddenly, the tremendous force of that dam burst, and millions of gallons of water swept down into that valley, and sweeping over 300 souls to their death. And when the catastrophe struck, there was no time to get away. And those who did not heed the warning fled. And those who did not heed the warning were lost. And those who heeded the warning and fled to the mountain were saved. My friend, God's warning voice is coming to you tonight again. Judgment is coming. Death is coming. There's a mountain that you can flee to tonight. It's called Calvary. There Christ paid the debt for your sin. There Christ died. He died that you might be forgiven. He died to make you good. You might go at last to heaven, saved by His precious blood. Will you come to that mountain tonight and find pardon through His precious blood? Let's pray together. John the Baptist came when he exposed sin. I wonder, dear friend, tonight, has your sin been exposed in the presence of God? Maybe it's the sin of self-righteousness. Maybe it's the sin of religion. I don't know what your sin is tonight, but I know this, it will down your soul in hell. And tonight God is exhorting you to trust His Son. I wonder tonight, will you take that step? Will you say and mean it just as I am, without one plea, but that thy blood was shed for me? And that thou bid'st me come to thee, O Lamb of God, I come, I come.