One of the most encouraging lessons we can learn from the way John the Baptist responded to his hostile critics was the way he rested in the reality that he belonged to God, he answered only to God, and he knew God was his great Defender.  And that reality alone gave him great courage to not take the abuse personally, but use it as an opportunity to point to Jesus.  Yes, always back to Jesus.

But John came to this confident realization the same way each of us can come to the same conclusion.  And that’s by seeing this truth in Scripture and then trusting, with all we are, that it is true.  So, how do you learn to trust Scripture?  By living it out day by day, whatever the consequences, come what may.

For example, in Psalm 62:5-7, we have a perfect picture of David’s trust in the Lord, and only in Him.  Let these words bring you great comfort in times of distress, as I’m sure they did John the Baptist.

My soul (inner being with thoughts and emotions), wait (which requires faith) silently (no complaining, no matter the circumstances) for God alone (and no other), (why) for my expectation (hope, refers to the cord from Rahab) is from Him (and no other).  He only (and no other) is my rock and my salvation; He is my defense; (therefore) I shall not be moved. In God is (present tense) my salvation and my glory; the rock of my strength, and my refuge, is in God.

Isn’t that amazing?  Meditating and living out this truth is what can help us develop the courage and confidence in God that John the Baptist showed.  And it will most certainly bring a smile to our Lord’s face when we trust Him and His Word to the point of doing our total surrender to His will, with no thought of what’s in it for us.

How the church needs this kind of confidence in Him today!  We need to embrace Him in faith as our Great Defender.

Commit yourself at the beginning of this new week to double your time with Him.  Why?  Because as we see the chaos rising all around us, we may not have much time to waste in fruitless endeavors as we have had in the past.

In today’s study, we have clearly portrayed before us in the life and response of John the Baptist, an encouraging example of trust and rest in the truth that had yet to be revealed to him.  In other words, John believed in Christ and in his calling as the forerunner of the Christ, yet he had never had Jesus revealed to Him as the Christ.  That was yet to come.  His faith in something not seen was still just that, faith in something not seen.  And this faith was reminiscent of what we see in Hebrews 11, where it states:

These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off were assured of them, embraced them and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. (Hebrews 11:13)

And what was the object of John’s faith?  The sovereignty of God.

John believed and rested in the fact that God is Sovereign and he belonged to Him. In Scripture, we are called His slaves, His servants, and His children. Therefore, it is His job to take care of us, in every area of our life. And it is our job to love and obey Him in every area of our life.

This is known as the Great Exchange.

The text we will be looking at again today is John 1:24-25:

Now those who were sent were from the Pharisees.  And they asked him, saying, “Why then do you baptize if you are not the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?”

On Monday, we will look more deeply at the Great Exchange and see if our faith will grow by remembering what Christ has given to us in exchange for what we have given Him.  And I think you’ll see how imbalanced the scales are in our favor.  We definitely got the better deal.  Praise Him!

Spend some time with Him today and learn to hear His voice and think His thoughts.   After all, “we have the mind of Christ” (1 Corinthians 2:16).

This is Part One of this week’s Tuesday Night Bible Study and today we will once again look at the character trait of humility that John the Baptist exhibited when he chose to not defend himself against the accusations of the Jerusalem delegation but instead pointed the conversation back to Jesus.  If we could only learn this tactic in our day of keyboard warriors who defame others while hiding behind their computers.  But, that is a lesson for another time.

The text we will be looking at this week is as follows:

Now those who were sent were from the Pharisees.  And they asked him, saying, “Why then do you baptize if you are not the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?”  John answered them, saying, “I baptize with water, but there stands One among you whom you do not know.  It is He who, coming after me, is preferred before me, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to loose.”  These things were done in Bethabara beyond the Jordan, where John was baptizing. (John 1:24-28)

We will also look briefly at the different political, religious, and social groups that made up the Jewish landscape in the time of Jesus:  the Pharisees, Sadduccees, Zealots, and the Essenes.

I pray you will be blessed on this third day of June and be encouraged to strive to become more like Him.

This is Part Five of last week’s Tuesday Night Bible Study and we will be exploring together what the delegation from Jerusalem meant when they asked John if he was Elijah or the Prophet.  Note, not one of the prophets or a prophet, but “the” Prophet, using the definite article to signify a specific Prophet.  And also notice the word Prophet is capitalized.  Do you wonder why?

You can read below the text we have been studying this week.

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?” He said, “I am not.” “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?” He said: “I am ‘The voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Make straight the way of the LORD,’ as the prophet Isaiah said.” (John 1:19-23)

In this study, we will also discover how to use Scripture to answer questions we might have about Scripture.  After all, the best way to interpret God’s Word is by God’s Word.

I hope this will help you in your walk with our Lord and help you grow closer to Him.

This is Part Three of this week’s Tuesday Night Bible Study and we will be looking at the accusing question the hostile delegation from Jerusalem confronted John with, namely, “Who are you?”  Our study this week is on the testimony of John the Baptist and is found in John 1:19-23.

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?”  He said, “I am not.”  “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?”  He said: “I am ‘The voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Make straight the way of the LORD,’ as the prophet Isaiah said.” (John 1:19-23)

But setting their question aside for the moment, John’s answer will compel each of us to become more like Christ.  His humility is contagious.  And his wisdom and unwavering focus on his mission, is convicting.  It’s something quite enviable.

Be blessed by John’s words and ask the Lord what you can learn about your own priorities in life compared with those of John the Baptist.

This is Part Two of this week’s Tuesday Night Bible Study and we will be looking deeper into the testimony of John the Baptist as recorded in John 1:19-23.

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?”  He said, “I am not.”  “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?”  He said: “I am ‘The voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Make straight the way of the LORD,’ as the prophet Isaiah said.” (John 1:19-23)

Here we learn more about the makeup of the hostile delegation sent to John from the religious elite in Jerusalem.  But we also will look at the word “testimony” to discover the depths of its meaning and how John the Apostle uses it over 70 times in his writings alone.  Why is that?  You’re soon to find out.

As you study along with us today, consider the elements of your own testimony.  How much of it is about you?  And how much of it reveals Christ?   Something to consider, isn’t it?

When it comes to the topic of the Christian and their struggle with temptation, preaching should not only tell us the “what” and “why” — but it should also give us the “hows” to stand up against it.  Because we all have the same questions, such as what are some practical steps we can take as believers to soar over temptation and stand victorious as our Lord did in Matthew 4 and Luke 4.  And when we study the account of Satan’s attempt to get Jesus to sin and how He responded to the enemy’s trickery, we should be encouraged to follow His lead like a dependent child.

Notice what Jesus did to ward off Satan’s schemes.

But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.'” (Matthew 4:4)

Jesus said to him, “It is written again, ‘You shall not tempt the Lord your God.'” (Matthew 4:7)

Then Jesus said to him, “Away with you, Satan!  For it is written, ‘You shall worship the LORD your God, and Him only you shall serve.'” (Matthew 4:10)

Notice anything that ties these three defenses together?  Or do you notice anything you could place in your arsenal to combat the evil one on the day of temptation?