Preparing the Way

Order of Service

• Hymn — For the Beauty of the Earth
• Call to Worship — Psalm 145:1-2, 3, 21
• Hymn of Praise
• Prayer of Invocation
• Confession of Faith — Apostles' Creed
• Public Profession of Faith — Ramsay Rushing
• Prayer
• Hymn — Hallelujah, What a Savior
• Pastoral Prayer
• Hymn — Come, My Soul, Thy Suit Prepare
• Offering
• Prayer
• Scripture Reading — John 1:19-28
• Sermon
• Hymn — Who Is on the Lord's Side?
• Benediction — Isaiah 33:5-6

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Sermon Title: Preparing the Way

Scripture: John 1:19-28

I. Who Is John the Baptist, the One Who Prepares the Way?

A. The priests, Levites, and Pharisees question John's identity and authority

1. John was performing baptism, an authoritative act typically reserved for priests
2. His reputation had grown so large that some whispered he might be the Christ

B. John emphatically denies being the Christ

1. The Gospel writer John stresses this denial with unusual emphasis
2. John denies being Elijah — anticipated from Malachi 4:5
3. John denies being the Prophet foretold in Deuteronomy 18:15

C. John identifies himself as the voice crying in the wilderness (Isaiah 40:3)

1. The seeming contradiction with Jesus's declaration that John is the Elijah to come is likely explained by John's incomplete self-awareness
2. John is simply an obedient servant proclaiming what the Lord commanded

D. John models extraordinary humility

1. He declares himself unworthy even to untie Christ's sandals (John 1:27)
2. Despite being the greatest of the prophets and a figure of immense popularity, John sees himself only as a lowly servant of King Jesus
3. Application: If this is true of John, all believers are nothing but lowly servants of King Jesus

II. How Does John the Baptist Prepare the Way for the Lord?

A. John baptizes Jews with a baptism of repentance

1. Baptism was ordinarily administered to Gentile proselytes as a sign of their filthy, sinful condition
2. By baptizing Jews, John places them on the same footing as Gentile sinners, declaring that Jewish lineage counts for nothing
3. This echoes John 1:12-13 — birth, blood, and ethnic identity do not make one a child of God; only faith in the Son does
4. See also Romans 3:9 and Matthew 3:7-9

B. John's ministry of repentance applies to preparation for Christ's second coming as well

1. Martin Luther's first of the 95 Theses (1517): "When our Lord and Master Jesus Christ said 'Repent,' he willed the entire life of the believer to be one of repentance"
2. Luther confronted the Roman Catholic Church's presumptuous confidence in sacraments and church membership — the same danger exists today
3. Whatever causes spiritual pride — right church, right doctrine, right status — must be mortified
4. Believers are to live lives of continual repentance, killing the old self and putting on the new, and to pray with confidence: Maranatha — Come, Lord Jesus

III. Where Does John Prepare the Way for the Lord?

A. Bethany beyond the Jordan (John 1:28) — likely the region of Batanaea (Bashan in the Old Testament), distinct from Bethany near Jerusalem (John 11:1)

B. The Gospel of John bookends Jesus's public ministry geographically

1. Jesus begins beyond the Jordan (north, near Galilee) and ends at Bethany near Jerusalem (south)
2. His ministry moves through all four major regions of Israel: Transjordan, Galilee (John 1:43), Samaria (John 4), and Judea
3. This movement mirrors Israel's own historical journey

C. The wilderness and Jordan River carry powerful Exodus typology

1. Wilderness recalls Israel's 40 years of wandering in judgment for sin
2. The Jordan separated the wilderness from the Promised Land; Joshua supernaturally parted it for Israel's entry
3. Elijah also parted the Jordan before his ascension (2 Kings 2), mimicking the Exodus journey
4. At the Transfiguration, Moses and Elijah spoke with Jesus about his departure — literally his Exodus (Luke 9:31)

D. John prepares hearts for a new and greater Exodus

1. The true Passover Lamb is announced in John 1:29: Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world
2. Christ's ministry begins beyond the Jordan and ends in Jerusalem, where his blood is shed and he ascends to glory
3. Believers have an imperishable inheritance kept in heaven (1 Peter 1:4)
4. Application: Prepare for this new Exodus by living lives of repentance, turning from this passing world toward the unshakable home won by Christ