Third Sunday of Advent - B. John 1:6-8, 19-28. And Elisha saw it and he cried, “My father, my father! He called people to a place they would not normally go unless they were serious seekers. We are called to speak for God, usually in small ways, that through the power of God will change hearts –. More than a change of mind. ii. His was a call to righteousness, and one would need to make a commitment to heed this call. a. 8He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light. Here is my sermon from the day: I hope it is a respectful reflection on the tragedies America has witnessed (and continues to witness) as a result of the racial and economic inequality woven into much of Western Society. Certain individuals in my congregation reliably tear up during this hymn or that one, and I know that it’s because that song was sung at their parent’s, or spouse’s, or child’s service. b. There are other significant prophets – Samuel, Elisha, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Daniel all come to mind, but Elijah stands above the crowd in significance to us for two reasons. 1. To accept John’s message was to realize that national descent, racial heritage, even being God’s covenant people could not save them. A necessity for outsiders if they wanted to members of God’s Kingdom. The grass withers and the flowers fade… (Isaiah 40:8). Yet his message of good news seemed as strange as his attire. See, I am sending my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way; the voice of one crying out in the wilderness. i.      John did not fit w/ the wealth & opulence of many religious leaders. The wilderness can be a place of failure and collapse. We must either repent or assassinate the King. This includes everyone. a.       John’s call was a demand for a completely different life. At the start of his career, he was a young preacher in a rural village. Conforming one’s thoughts, deeds and values from those of society to those of God. 7He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all men might believe. Baptism was for Gentiles. The Voice in the Wilderness John 1:6-8, 19-28 6There came a man who was sent from God; his name was John. His life was unique for his role, yet in many ways it reflects our role. We are raised by God as counterparts to the evil ways of this world. i. i. b. a. That is good news to some people but it is bad news to others. He had been schooled in the best of modern theology, and his sermons were well-polished masterpieces. The coming of the Kingdom is preceded by a voice crying in the wilderness.… Plus thousands of non-lectionary, scripture based resources... You have no doubt seen, as I have, the lingering effect of the songs that are sung at a loved one’s funeral. The chariots of Israel and its horsemen!” And he saw him no more. Prayers usually include these concerns and may follow this sequence. To turn around. CHURCH ON RANDALL PLACE SERMON NOTES 6/7/09, “THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN” A STUDY IN MATTHEW, TODAY’S MESSAGE: “A VOICE CRYING IN THE WILDERNESS” MATT 3:1-6. a. And Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven. First is the manner in which he leaves the physical realm –, – and second is that he was with Jesus when He was transfigured –. He appeared as a rather strange person who came from the wilderness, preaching repentance, dressed in camel's hair, surviving on a diet of locust and wild honey. Make the roads smooth, fill in the potholes, clean up trash etc. All come into the kingdom the same way, there are no private entrances. The grass withers and the flowers fade… (Isaiah 40:8). b. Cycle B Gospel Texts Sermons for Advent, Christmas, And Epiphany. When they had crossed, Elijah said to Elisha, “Ask what I shall do for you, before I am taken from you.” And Elisha said, “Please let there be a double portion of your spirit on me.” And he said, “You have asked a hard thing; yet, if you see me as I am being taken from you, it shall be so for you, but if you do not see me, it shall not be so.” And as they still went on and talked, behold, chariots of fire and horses of fire separated the two of them. i. Sermon. With John the Baptist, the precursor to Christ, he was the "Voice Crying in the Wilderness". And after six days Jesus took with him Peter and James, and John his brother, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. 1. i. ii. After 400 years of God’s silence, He now speaks through His herald that a change is coming. He was known as a man of faith and sought to incorporate it into every dimension of life, including social and political. i. Not a plot of real estate, it is the rule or reign of heaven that is near. i. Abraham Kuyper served two terms as prime minister of the Netherlands in the early 20th century. A voice cries: “In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for our God. And Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven. i. This will be message number five in the first six verses of Luke 3. 1. ii. The herald has called them to prepare the path for the King’s arrival and to remove the obstacles that would hinder Him. The message of the King’s first disciples. said to him, “Go, return on your way to the wilderness of Damascus. The nearness of the Kingdom compels us to take action. Coming to harvest fruit or burn the unfruitful, bless w/the Holy Spirit or judge w/ fire, to gather the wheat or burn the chaff. Malachi 3:1 ESV “Behold, I send my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me. make straight in the desert a highway for our God. The people wondered who John the Baptist was. The John of our Gospel of study is not John the Baptist, but John the Apostle. “So John came to announce that the kingdom was happening at that very moment. His message was that of the King. And the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple; and the messenger of the covenant in whom you delight, behold, he is coming, says the, “Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and awesome day of the, comes. And the one who escapes from the sword of Hazael shall Jehu put to death, and the one who escapes from the sword of Jehu shall Elisha put to death. It is a reality that manifests itself in a community that accepts the message of Jesus (the King) and begins to work out the King’s purposes on earth. There is a close connection between repentance and conversion (2 Corinthians 7:10). Comfort, comfort my people, says your God. i. ii. The living Lord was exercising His prerogatives as King, and demanding that all men everywhere repent” (Phil Newton). a. The primary message of Jesus (Matt 4:17; Mark 1:14-150, ii. Concl: It is not enough for us to simply examine Elijah without realizing why God sent him. It is an acknowledgment that you have been walking in the wrong direction and need to turn around. i. Then he prayed again, and heaven gave rain, and the earth bore its fruit. 1. Cycle B Gospel Texts Sermons for Advent, Christmas, And Epiphany. 19Now this was… CHURCH ON RANDALL PLACE SERMON NOTES 6/7/09 “THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN” A STUDY IN MATTHEW TODAY’S MESSAGE: “A VOICE CRYING IN THE WILDERNESS” MATT 3:1-6 I. Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the earth. Becoming more difficult in a culture of moral relativism. 1. John A. Stroman. i. One needs to prepare themselves for God’s rule & reign. 1. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working. A Voice Crying in the Wilderness (A sermon from John 1:6-8, 19-28) The wilderness theme throughout the biblical tradition is multi-layered and rich in meaning. It was good news for the oppressed. A. This voice informs the Kingdom is near and what one must do to become a citizen of that Kingdom. Introduction a. It was good news involving repentance, and repentance involved change. And Elisha saw it and he cried, “My father, my father! “In the wilderness prepare the way of the. Well, we come to a wonderful portion of Scripture, this morning. It was bad news for the oppressors. And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became white as light. This demand was shocking that it included Jews. John is such a voice crying in the wilderness, crying for repentance and judgment, crying against oppression and injustice. Elijah represents all prophets and foreshadows the coming of John the Baptist, Intro: As we conclude our series on five great men of the Old Testament, we come to the prophet who represents all prophets – Elijah. They also had to repent (forsake their sin), and trust God for their salvation which baptism was a public witness. iii. John the Baptizer, as presented by Luke, was a prophet in the style of the old Hebrew prophets.Luke offers us a rather lengthy description of the preaching of John the Baptist. d.      Repent, the Kingdom of heaven is near. There is someone God wants you to share the Gospel and yourselves (1 Thes. John the Baptist was the beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ. But faith was not always so important to Kuyper. The Voice of One Crying in the Wilderness - John 1:6-8, 15-28. I. b. i. It is so close that people are now confronted w/ the opportunity and inescapable necessity of repentance and conversion. 1. My brothers, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and someone brings him back, let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from his wandering will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins. And the experience of death and grief is so strong in us that that song, then, forever belongs to that occasion for that individual. And behold, there appeared to them Moses and Elijah, talking with him. In ancient times a herald would often precede a monarch to announce his arrival and to call the people to prepare. It has both negative and positive overtones. The coming of the Kingdom is preceded by a voice crying in the wilderness. Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. Intro. The chariots of Israel and its horsemen!” And he saw him no more. And he said, “You have asked a hard thing; yet, if you see me as I am being taken from you, it shall be so for you, but if you do not see me, it shall not be so.” And as they still went on and talked, behold, chariots of fire and horses of fire separated the two of them. A) He wrote no books (that are preserved in scripture), and was exceeded in length of service by several of the men mentioned above, B) Yet, as a prophet, he was peerless at a difficult time in Israel’s history –, When Ahab saw Elijah, Ahab said to him, “Is it you, you troubler of Israel?”, C) For three years he had disappeared to Israel –, , 5C) For three years he had disappeared to Israel –, D) God raised him to be a counterpart to Ahab –, A) There are few events in which Elijah spoke to the king or the multitudes of people, with one real exception –, B) There are many time in which he was alone, or nearly so, and these events reveal the word of God in and through him –, – providing food and water for Elijah (and a Gentile widow and her son –, ) – raising that son from the dead (first recorded occasion) –, – fleeing from Jezebel into the wilderness of Judah –, C) Even in death, he is alone, except for Elisha –, A) He has a closer connection to the Christ than any other OT prophet because he is the, for which John comes to be revealed as the, – Isaiah and Malachi wrote about this, but he is the one whom they write about –. And Jehu the son of Nimshi you shall anoint to be king over Israel, and Elisha the son of Shaphat of Abel-meholah you shall anoint to be prophet in your place. Then he took hold of his own clothes and tore them in two pieces. That God in faithfulness to His promises is now coming to free people from their bondage, proving the word of the Lord stands forever. God's Downward Mobility.