(Text only for Ch. 1,2,3 Audio available for most Matthew sermons from Chapter 4-28)
Title: It’s All About The Label
(Show a slide show of images, as audience to identify them: Nike swoosh, BMW roundel, McDonald’s “M”, NBA Symbol)
Story of Dr. Marvin McMickle and Saxophone man.
A name, a title, a reputation will often mean something to men, but God sees through all of that, and so did his prophet John.
(Read/pray)
I. A Most Unlikely Messenger
Think of a politician. It can be any one of them. Male or female, You can like them or not like them, it doesn’t matter. I’m not cocnerned with their policies, or their messages, or even what they say, I just want to know what they look like.
Give me some characteristics:
A Politician Looks:
1. Well dressed.
2. Well groomed.
3. Conservative in their appearance, even if they are “crazy” in their policies.
4. Non-threatening.
John the Baptist Looks:
1. Not well dressed.
2. Not groomed.
3. Crazy in appearance.
4. Extremely threatening.
When we read of John’s appearance in vv 4-6, it is immediately evident that John lacks a certain, shall we say, “polish.” He doesn’t look like we think a messenger from the Kingdom of Heaven should look. When we think of an ambassador, when we think of a politician, we think of someone who is chosen because they have the ability to put their best foot forward. They look nice, speak well, and are well received. Their appearance does not hinder their ability to share their message, but rather their appearance makes their message easier to hear, easier to swallow.
But John isn’t exactly wearing Armani, he’s wearing camel.
His belt is not Vercasse, it’s cow.
And he isn’t seen dining at the finest restaurants, he’s not eating at Paula Dean’s café, or Emeril Lagasse’s Las Vegas $400 per plate restaurant.
John’s an extra in the Lion King, singing “Hakuna Matada” dining on grubs eating locusts and honey.
Yet, some amazing things are happening despite John’s less than royal appearance.
We so often miss the key to this passage.
When we think of John the Baptist, we always seem to focus on his clothes, on his diet, on his “crazy man” appearance, and we miss that “Jerusalem all Judea, and all the region around the Jordan went out to him and were baptized by him in the Jordan, confessing their sins.”
So despite his appearance we see that John was somehow extremely effective as a minister and prophet. How can this be? How can a figure, who should be so threatening to the world, who’s message is not roses, but thorns, be so effective? How is it that anyone would listen to such a man?
Think of it this way: You and I would NEVER go to a job interview dressed like John the Baptist, yet our message to the world as Christians is the same as John’s was to the people at the Jordan River.
In fact, I think far too many within the church today are obsessed with appearances of their leaders. They want they pastors to dress a certain way, talk with a certain polish, be non-threatening so as to win as many as possible to Christ, yet when I look at John the Baptist, it seems to me that his priorities were quite a bit different, wouldn’t you say?
So how is it that John was so effective?
I think we can observe a few truths right here:
1. Man is often concerned with appearances, God is concerned with faithfulness.
2. Man is concerned with the messenger, God is concerned with the message.
3. John was effective because he was honest with himself and others, while also being faithful to God.
Application: What does this mean for us?
1. Our motivations are as important as our actions.
2. Why? Because our motivations will be judged side by side with our actions. (Hebrews 4:13)
3. Our effectiveness as ministers is proportional to our faithfulness to God.
4. We cannot be non-offensive at the expense of truth.