There were to be no rough roads for the royal chariot. so many Christians are in a desert spiritually. Lo, I will send you Elijah, the prophet, before the day of the Lord comes” (Mal 3:1,23). John the Baptist did not inflate who he was or what God called him to do. Jn 19:35. a. (19-28) Other testimonies of John concerning Christ. Interactive Bible study with John Piper. (43-51)1-5 The plainest reason why the Son of God is called the Word, seems to be, that as our words explain our minds to others, so was the Son of God sent in order to reveal his Father's mind to the world. In the other three Gospels it is applied to the Baptist (Matthew 3:3; Mark 1:3; Luke 3:4). As the nation Israel was in a desert place, so many Christians are in a desert spiritually. John made it clear to them that he was not the Messiah, but was sent to “Make straight the way of the Lord” (1:23). 7 This man came for a # John 3:25–36; 5:33–35 witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all through him might # (John 3:16) believe. "the voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, prepare the way before the people of the Lord, make in the plain, paths before the congregation of our God: but not the people of the Lord, but the Lord himself, and not the congregation of God, but God himself is intended; whose ways were to be prepared, and made plain, even the King Messiah; which was to be done, and was done by his forerunner John the Baptist, who, with great modesty, expresses himself in the language of this Scripture, as being a prophecy of him: he was a "voice", but not a mere voice; nor was his ministry a mere voice of words, as the law was, but it was the sweet voice of the Gospel, proclaiming the coming of the Messiah; encouraging men to believe in him; calling them to evangelical repentance, and publishing remission of sins in the name of Christ, and pointing him out as the Lamb of God, which takes away the sin of the world: this voice was "crying"; it was not a still small voice, it was a very loud one; John lifted up his voice like a trumpet; he delivered himself with great zeal and fervency; and it was "in the wilderness" where this voice was heard, in the wilderness of Judea, as in Matthew 3:1 where Jesus came preaching; the Ethiopic version renders the words, "I am the voice of one that goes about in the wilderness"; that is, in the several towns and villages which were in the wilderness, to whom John went and preached the Gospel: the Persic version reads, "I am the voice and cry which cometh out of the wilderness"; referring to the place where he was before he entered on his public ministry, and from whence he came; for he was in the deserts till the day of his showing unto Israel, Luke 1:80. John Testifies About Jesus 29The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! "You have sent to John, and he has borne witness to the truth. We need to clear any obstacles that may hinder our ministry. Our vision here at Study and Obey is help you make disciples in small group Bible studies and to help those disciples learn to not just head knowledge, but obedience. If a king were to come to a community, the inhabitants had to clear the roads of any obstacles. by Grant | Aug 22, 2016 | John | 0 comments, 23 He said, “I am the voice of one crying out in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way of the Lord,’ as the prophet Isaiah said.”. In a different wilderness, the desert was a place where God had gathered His people from slavery in Egypt. He said, I am a voice crying in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord, as said Isaiah the prophet. (29-36) Andrew and another disciple follow Jesus. Supporters of this point to 2 Jn. John 1:23. Jesus is the Word but we are merely the voice. "In the beginning was 1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 3 c A voice cries : 1 We need to clear any obstacles that may hinder our ministry. messianic kingdom. For 33 years, he served as pastor of Bethlehem Baptist Church, Minneapolis, Minnesota. John speaks to anyone willing to listen, testifying to Jesus’ christological and soteriological significance before Jesus takes an active role in the story. John’s citation implies that his audience knew Scripture and had hope for the coming of the Messiah. 1 Peter 1:23 Parallel Verses [⇓ See commentary ⇓] 1 Peter 1:23, NIV: "For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God." Wesley's Notes for John 1:23. JOHN COMMENTARY Select Verses Compiled by Bruce Hurt, MD. Mahatma Gandhi (1869-1948) “fought” for the freedom of enslaved and oppressed peoples for over thirty years and is rightly recognized as one of the world’s great leaders in this regard. All these passages confirm that Jesus is … that prophet—announced in De 18:15, &c., about whom they seem not to have been agreed whether he were the same with the Messiah or no. Articles Sermons Topics Books Podcasts Filter Resources By Ask Pastor John. John wants to tell us more than the story of Jesus’ life; he tries to explain the meaning behind the things that Jesus said and did. The nation should remove any impediment that might undermine the Messiah’s coming to set up His kingdom. For ὁδὸν, way, all the Synoptists have τρίβους, beaten tracks; and for the verb εὐθύνατε, make straight, the adjective and verb εὐθύνατε ποιεῖτε. * disciples what was most important to us the Sanhedrin, Acts 23:6 plain English 4:13-14 ) 8 was! 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