If you would please turn in your Bibles to the Gospel according to Mark. The Gospel according to Mark, if you would please. Gospel according to Mark, and we're in chapter one, verses one through eight is our text this morning. Mark chapter one, verses one through eight. The word of the Lord. in the beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. As it is written in the prophets, behold, I send my messenger before your face, who will prepare your way before you. The voice of the one crying in the wilderness, prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. John came baptizing in the wilderness and preaching at baptism of repentance for the remission of sins. Then all the land of Judea and those of Jerusalem went out to him, and all were baptized by him in the Jordan River, confessing their sins. Now John was clothed with camel's hair and with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey. And he preached, saying, there comes one after me, who is mightier than I, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to stoop down and loose. I indeed baptize you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit. The word of the living God, let us pray. Our heavenly Father, we thank you for this, your word. We pray your richest blessings upon the hearing and reading of it. May we not only be found hearers of the word, but also doers of your word. Again, we pray that the worship that is offered to you this morning would be worthy of you, that you would be pleased with it, that it would be worship in spirit and in truth. Holy Spirit, we pray that you would take that which you have prepared for us this morning, and that you would graciously make application of it to each and every one of us. You know our hearts, our minds, You know our fears, our doubts, our challenges. You are fully acquainted with the sins that so easily ensnare us. And so we pray that you would take your word and that you would graciously make application of it to each and every one of us. Lord Jesus, we pray there's anyone here this morning or anyone listening to this message who has not yet trusted you. They have not yet come to understand that they are that they are at odds with God, that their sin is an affront to Him, and that you came and you fulfilled the law on behalf of all who believe you, that you live the life that no man can live, a life of perfect obedience to the law, and that you die to death, thus paying the penalty that no man can pay, the penalty of sin, thus fulfilling all aspects of the law on behalf of all who trust in you on behalf of all who look to you for God's promise of forgiveness on behalf of all who believe you. So we pray there'd be anyone here this morning or listening to this message that has not yet trusted in you. We pray that you will look to the father pleading with him, asking him to draw them unto himself savingly through a personal saving relationship with you. Lord, I also pray that you would be pleased with thy servant's work on your behalf, that you would bless my work for the benefit, for the good of the church, for your glory. Help me to speak boldly, help me to speak confidently, help me to speak accurately, help me to have singleness of mind. If I should speak anything amiss, I pray your forgiveness in advance. And Lord, I pray that you would help me, that you would enable thy servant to preach as if this were my last sermon. And so lead and guide as only you can. May you be glorified in all things. May your people be encouraged. May sinners be saved. In your most holy and precious name, we live and move, have our being, and pray. Amen. Beloved, the Lord has always have had messengers, those whom would speak on his behalf. The Lord God Almighty has always had his messengers whom he called to speak to his people on his behalf. One only needs to spend some time in the Holy Scriptures, very little time actually, in the Holy Scripture to see that the Lord has been faithful in calling men to be his spokesmen. When we think of the Old Testament, and the men whom the Lord has called to be his messengers, one of the men most often thought of first, I think, would be Moses. The time had come to deliver his people out of their bondage in Egypt. The time had arrived to rescue his people from their 400 years of slavery in Egypt. And so the Lord secures Moses' attention with the burning bush, the bush that was burning but was not consumed by the fire. And it was at that moment Moses learned that he was the Lord's spokesman, that he would speak on behalf of the Lord God Almighty. Moses would go to Pharaoh and speak on behalf of the Lord saying, thus says the Lord God of Israel, let my people go that they may hold a fast to me in the wilderness, Exodus 5.1. In other words, Moses said to Pharaoh, thus says the Lord God of Israel, let my people go that they may worship me in the wilderness. Then there was the Lord's messenger, Noah, through whom we're told from scripture that the spirit of Christ preached for 120 years. 120 years, Christ, his spirit, through Noah preached, warning men of the coming judgment upon the wickedness that filled the earth. Noah also spoke on behalf of the Lord, declaring his message of condemnation with, think about this, with every strike of the hammer that he did, making the ark. With every strike of that hammer, he built the ark. The author of Hebrew tells us, he alludes to that when he writes in chapter 11, verse seven, he says, by faith, being divinely warned of things not yet seen, moved with godly fear, prepared an ark for the saving of his household by which he condemned the world and became heir of righteousness, which is according to faith. So with every strike of the hammer that Noah performed, preparing the ark, delivered a message to the unbelieving world of condemnation. Judgment is coming. Then there's the prophets through whom the Lord spoke to his covenant people and their adversaries. Beloved, this brings us to today's passage of Holy Scripture. This brings us to today's opening verses of Mark's Gospel, verses one through eight. In today's passage, as we will now see, John the Baptist is the last in a long line of Old Testament prophets who are called by God to declare the coming or the arrival of the long-awaited promised Messiah, the Son of God, the Lord Jesus Christ. Because John the Baptist is the last in a long line of the prophets to declare God's message, the coming and arrival of the long-awaited promised Messiah, the suffering servant of the Lord, as we will now see in today's passage, John the Baptist is actually the forerunner of Christ. He is the forerunner of Christ. Let us read our passage and we'll look to the Lord in prayer once again. Beginning in verse one, we read, in the beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the son of God, as it is written in the prophets, behold, I send my messenger before your face, who will prepare your way before you. The voice of the one crying in the wilderness, prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. John came baptizing in the wilderness and preaching a baptism of repentance for the remission of sins. Then all the land of Judah and those from Jerusalem went out to him and all were baptized by him in the Jordan River, confessing their sins. Now John was clothed with camel's hair and with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey. And he preached, saying, there comes one after me who is mightier than I, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to stoop down and loose. Indeed, I baptize you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit. Let us pray. Our Heavenly Father, once again, we look to you in prayer, asking for your blessings upon this gathering. In your holy name we pray, amen. Verses one through three, in the beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, as it is written in the prophets, behold, I send my messenger before your face, who will prepare your way before you. The voice of the one crying in the wilderness, prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. In the beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, are two schools of thought regarding verse one. There are two schools of thought regarding verse one. There's the idea that verse one is an independent sentence and it is independent from the rest of the gospel because it is actually Mark's title for his gospel. Then there is the idea that verse one is closely related to what immediately follows in verse two through three. In the beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, as it is written, behold, my messenger, John, came baptizing. When we take into consideration Acts 10, verse 37, we find support for the idea that verse one is indeed closely related to what immediately follows in verses two through three. There in Acts 10, 37, we read, well, I'll begin reading in verse 34. In Acts 10, beginning of verse 34, we read, Then Peter opened his mouth and said, in truth, I perceive that God showed no partiality, but in every nation, whoever fears him and works righteousness is accepted by him. The word which God sent to the children of Israel, preaching peace through Jesus Christ, he is Lord of all, that word you know, which was proclaimed throughout all Judah and began from Galilee after the baptism of John preached. After the baptism of John preached. And so what we find here is Peter saying is that the gospel began to be preached after the baptism of John. The preaching of the gospel began with John the Baptist. It goes on to say, after the baptism of John preached, how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing, all who are oppressed by the devil, for God was with him, and we are witnesses of all things which he did, both in the land of the Jews and in Jerusalem, whom they killed by the hanging on a tree. Him God raised up on the third day and showed him openly, not to all people, but to witnesses chosen before by God, even to us, who ate and drank with him after he arose from the dead. And he commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that it is he who was ordained by God to be the judge of the living and the dead. To him, all the prophets witnessed that through his name, whoever believes in him will rescue, will receive the remission of sins. And so Peter is saying here is that the preaching of the gospel began with John the Baptist. Then there's Christ's testimony concerning John the Baptist in Luke 16, 16. There in Luke 16, 16, Jesus says, the law and the prophets were until John. Since that time, the kingdom of God has been preached and everyone is pressing into it. And so the preaching of the kingdom of God began with John the Baptist, Jesus is saying. And he's saying, ever since that time, everyone is seeking to enter into it. They are pressing into it. And so the idea that verse one is closely related to what is immediately follows in verses two through three seems to have support of the Holy Scripture. Again, in the beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, as it is written, behold, my messenger, John came baptizing. And so John the Baptist, whom the prophets of old spoke of, he came and began to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ, preparing the way of the Lord, just as the prophets of old predicted he would. He, John the Baptist, is the voice of the one crying in the wilderness, crying, prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. Now it is believed that Mark was written from Rome. The audience was the church in Rome. And so when Mark writes, make his path straight, it draws a picture for the Roman audience, for the Christians in Rome. During the time of the Romans, in anticipation of the arrival of the emperor, which was a very significant event for the Romans, The roads would be carefully prepared. They would be carefully prepared for the arrival of the emperor. Rocks would be removed. Uneven places would be made even. Any and all obstacles that would prevent a smooth travel for the emperor would be removed. Roads would be prepared. Obstacles would be removed. The emperor is coming. The king is coming. The roads need to be smooth. And so when John says, prepare the way of the Lord, make his path straight, he's saying, prepare for the Lord's coming. Remove all obstacles that may be for the Lord's coming. Prepare yourself. for his arrival. Any and all obstacles that there may be, they need to be smoothed out. They need to be removed. You need to prepare for his coming. In verses four through five, we read, John came baptizing in the wilderness and preaching a baptism of repentance for the remission of sins, that all the land of Judah and those from Jerusalem went out to him and all were baptized by him in the Jordan River, confessing their sins. Beloved, here we have a beautiful picture. John the Baptist, through his preaching and baptism, is working toward removing any and all obstacles, any and all obstacles being removed from the hearts of the people. He is preparing the way of the Lord. He is calling men, women, and children to repentance. He is calling them to prepare themselves for the Lord's arrival. He is preparing the way of the Lord. The people of Judah in Jerusalem who came and received John's baptism of repentance, they did so with a view of forgiveness that they would receive when God grants them repentance. The people of Judah and Jerusalem, John the Baptist was calling them to acknowledge their sins. That's what he's doing. He's calling them to acknowledge that they are sinners. The Lord is coming. You are sinners. You have sin in your life. Prepare the way of the Lord. Make yourself ready for the Lord's return. Remove any and all obstacles that there may be so that when he arrives, all will go well with you. And so he's calling them to acknowledge their sins, to confess their sins, because he was chosen to be the one to begin preaching the gospel and thus preparing the way of the Lord. The promised Messiah is coming. The kingdom of God is at hand. Be baptized knowing that all whom God grants repentance will receive forgiveness of their sins. What does Mark go on to say in verse six? He says, now John was clothed with camel's hair and a leather belt around his waist. And he ate locusts and wild honey. And he preached saying, there comes one after me who is mightier than I, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to stoop down and loose. I indeed baptize you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit. Beloved John the Baptist's clothes invoked images to the people of his day of the prophet Elijah. And for that reason, and for that reason, priests and Levites from Jerusalem were sent to him to ask if he is indeed the prophet Elijah. You see, in Malachi chapter three, the prophet says that Elijah would come and prepare the way of the Lord. So when the people heard and saw John the Baptist preaching, they wondered if he could be Elijah. We see this in John chapter one, verse 21. In 19 verse 23 of John's gospel, we read the following. Now this is the testimony of John. When the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, who are you? He confessed and did not deny, but confessed, I am not the Christ. And they asked him, what then, are you Elijah? And he said, I am not. Are you the prophet? Now, when they ask, are you the prophet? They are referring to the prophet spoken of when Moses says that the Lord was gonna send one to his people, one like him who would speak all things. Are you the prophet? And he answered, no. Then they said to him, who are you? That we may give an answer to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself? And he said, I am the voice of the one crying in the wilderness. Make straight the way of the Lord, as the prophet Isaiah has said. In Matthew 11, verse 12, Jesus refers to John the Baptist as the Elijah who was to come. And so when we take that into consideration, it appears that John the Baptist actually fulfills the prophetic word concerning the arrival of Elijah to prepare the way of the Lord. John the Baptist came in the power and spirit of Elijah, eating locusts and honey, preaching and preparing the way of the Lord, we're told in scripture. And so beloved, clearly John the Baptist is the forerunner of Christ. Put yourself for a moment in the people of his days' shoes. For 400 years, there was silence. For 400 years, the Lord has not spoken to his people. And do you remember when the silence was finally broken? The silence was finally broken when he spoke to Mary. And he told Mary that she would bear a son and that he would be called Jesus and that he would save his people. And then the silence was broken again when he spoke with John the Baptist's father. You remember that? John the Baptist's father went in, he went to worship the Lord in the temple, and as he was offering worship to the Lord, an angel appeared to him and told him that he would give birth, or that Elizabeth would give birth to a son, John the Baptist. And then all these years go by. John the Baptist is growing up as a child. Jesus is growing up as a child. Then all of a sudden, Jesus, you know, we're talking 31, 32 years later. All of a sudden, this man clothed in camel's hair, eating locusts and honey, comes out of the wilderness. All of a sudden, this voice crying in the wilderness comes out of nowhere, preaching the gospel, preparing the way for the Lord, captured the people's attention. And so they were wondering, is this Elijah? Is this the prophet? Is this the Christ? And so as you can imagine, the people were on edge. And the people were definitely listening to John the Baptist. They were following through, hearing his message, confessing their sins, being baptized, preparing themselves for the arrival of the Lord. And he preached, saying, there comes one after me who is mightier than I, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to stoop down and lose. Indeed, I indeed baptize you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit. Beloved, at this point, John the Baptist didn't know, he didn't know who the Messiah is. He did not know that the Messiah is, but he did know that the Messiah was so much more greater than he is, and that he is not worthy to position himself as a lowly slave to loose the strap of his sandal. But little did John the Baptist know that the promised Messiah who was preparing the way, that he was preparing the way for it, was his cousin. his aunt Mary's child, Jesus. John the Baptist's baptism of repentance was preparatory for the baptism with which Christ would baptize his people. Jesus the Lord would baptize his people with the Holy Spirit through whom they would receive the promise of forgiveness and therefore become children of God, his adopted sons and daughters in Jesus Christ. John the Baptist, beloved, is the last in a long line of prophets to declare the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. The first advent of the promised Messiah had come and the people needed to be prepared. And so John the Baptist was commissioned by God the Father to prepare the way of the Lord by calling people to repentance with his baptism. And John the Baptist is indeed as we've seen in today's opening passages of Mark's gospel, the forerunner of Christ. He is Christ's forerunner. Beloved, in one sense, in one sense, we are called, like John the Baptist was, we are called to prepare the way of the Lord, are we not? Christ, the promised Messiah, is returning, and people need to be prepared for his arrival. We are called, like John the Baptist, to preach the gospel, encouraging people to examine themselves, to confess their sins, and to prepare their hearts for Jesus Christ. People need to be called to repentance through the gospel in order that they may be baptized with the Holy Spirit thus receiving the promise of forgiveness and therefore becoming children of God. And so in one sense, much like John the Baptist, we are called to be forerunners of Christ. We are called to prepare the way of the Lord for his return, are we not? Beloved, may we be found faithful. May we be found faithful in preparing hearts and minds to receive the remission of sins that is promised to all who repent of their sins and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. May we be found faithful, sharing the gospel with our loved ones, sharing the gospel with our friends, our acquaintances. May we be found faithful, educating our children, raising our families up in the fear and admonition of the Lord. May we be found faithful preparing hearts and minds for the arrival of the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. Amen. The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, as it is written in the prophets, behold, I send my messenger before your face who will prepare your way before you. The voice of the one crying in the wilderness, prepare the way of the Lord, make his path straight. John came baptizing in the wilderness and preaching a baptism of repentance for the remission of sins. Then all the land of Judah and those from Jerusalem went out to him and were baptized by him in the Jordan River, confessing their sins. Now John was clothed with camel hair and with leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey. And he preached, saying, There comes one after me who is mightier than I, whose sandal strap I'm not worthy to stoop down and lose. Indeed, I indeed baptize you with water, but he, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit. Let us pray. Heavenly Father, we thank you for this, your word. Father, we thank you for the gospel. We thank you for faithful brothers and sisters. We thank you for those who are faithful to share the gospel with us. We thank you for those who are faithful to prepare the way of the Lord, to share the gospel with us, bringing us under the hearing and the teaching of the gospel so that we too may prepare our hearts to receive the Lord, the King of Kings. Heavenly Father, we pray that as anyone here this morning or anyone listening to this message who has yet to prepare themselves, for the reception, for receiving Jesus Christ as your one and only Lord and Savior. Father, we pray that you would be so kind to grant them the enabling grace to give them eyes to see and minds to understand and hearts to believe that Jesus Christ is indeed the promised Messiah, that He is indeed the Son of God who came to seek and to save that which was lost, that He is indeed the Savior, Lord and Savior of all who place their faith, their trust in Him, and through whom they receive the forgiveness of sins. In your holy name we pray, amen.