Lesson 6 The Life of CHRIST (John, the Forerunner of CHRIST)

We as CH RISTians need to understand right off the bat in this lesson, that We need to be the Forerunner's  for the 2nd Coming Of CHRIST. John preached and proclaimed GOD in the flesh in CHRIST JESUS. John faced unbeliever's, doubter's, hater's and the whole gammit of Religious ridicule of his day. I'm sure John often got discouraged from all the struggles he encountered. John was no better than we are, nor was he any better equipped than we are today. John simply had the Power of GOD on his life, John was led by the HOLY SPIRIT, John could have just threw up his hands and gave up. But as we read in GOD'S Word, John lept in his mother's womb, being filled with the HOLY GHOST. John was a wild man, in the flesh. I can just picture John as a rugged, tough, mountain man. His diet was locust and wild honey. His wardrobe was the hides of wild beasts or animals, but, his inner man was given to GOD. We spoke in lesson 5 that it is not what we have outwardly that counts, it is what we are inside, the inner man, the heart, the soul..If it aint for GOD, of GOD and if GOD aint in control, go back to the alter and give your life to GOD right now. Today is the day of Salvation, making things right with a HOLY GOD. We go through life merely going through the motions. We know what to do..Pray, Read GOD'S Word, Attend Church and Yes on a regular basis. But, we have to say, this get's old. Say Amen right there. We simply get tired of doing them. Amen Brother Terry! We continue to do them because we know they are right to do, or we want our little group to not think bad of us, or we want our youth group, sunday school, etc to loose points or have any thing other than a perfect attendance record, or we don't want our Pastor mad at us for missing church..many many many excuses we can think of and just understand when we reach that point we are not getting anything accomplished spiritually. T. M. Moore was thinking the same thing when he wrote, "We've all known them, those seasons when the wind seems to go out of the sails of our spiritual lives. Our time in the Word of GOD is unexciting and unfruitful. Prayer is a struggle. Our devotions are skimpy or even skipped. Worship never quite satisfies. Our witness is virtually nonexistent. Too many things seem more important than spirituality and we would not describe ourselves as currently on the cutting edge of CHRISTian growth." Moore calls this predicament "the Spiritual Doldrums, when the sails of our spirits go limp while the rest of our life is proceeding full speed ahead. A. W. Tozer calls this "wasted religious activity". It is also called going through the motions as I mentioned earlier. It is simply when all is said and done, none of it meets GOD'S requirements because our motives are all wrong. Let me speak a few words about CHRISTianity of Today. The day and time in which we live in right now 2011. We are not content to empasize only what GOD'S Word commands. Then we take it a few steps further, we add and subtract from what GOD tells us in HIS Word, then we have the guts to the judge other people's spirituality more by their adherence to the man made rules we have thrown in there to help GOD out, rather than being obedient to GOD'S Word period. We are affected by Modern Day Pharisaism. Oh yes I did, stay with me folks, We have become Pharisee's!! We make religion consist in conformity to the law, and promises GOD'S Grace only to the doers of the law. Religion becomes external. More attention is focused on the outward show of spirituality than on the true inward spirituality. John had this similar situation going on in Israel during his ministry. Thats right folks, the game of the devil aint changed in over 2,000 years, the game has just elevated due to our spiritual ignorance. Say Amen right there!! It is time we have men stand and call black, black and call white, white and get out of the Grey!!!!! It's either Sin or it's Not Sin!! Period, No In Between! Wake Up Folks!! The Jewish Leadership was made up of 3 sects or groups, 1. Pharisees  2. Sadducess  3. Essenes The Pharisees were the strictest. They formed as a reaction against the religious compromise that was creeping into the Jewish society as the influences of Grecian culture took hold under the rule of the Roman Empire. The people were beginning to lose their Jewiah distinctiveness, and the Pharisees wanted to bring the nation back to its Jewish roots and fight further decay in society. To accomplish this, the Pharisees insisted on strict adherence to the Mosaic Law. In fact, they went beyond the Mosaic Law and strongly insisted on strict observence of additional traditions that had been added down through the centuries. They became the religious "nit-pickers" of the day. And because they paid strict attention to the nit-picky rules, they thought themselves spiritually superior to everyone else in society. Now go back to what I typed a few sentences back and see what we are doing today. We are looking down our nose at others,judging them, critizing them, talking bad about them, all the while we are saying..Look At Me...See what I have done or am doing...Man I am doing good...Look Look Look at Me!!! Brother Tozer said this behavior or attitude of Pharisaism...I could lable it Terryism...Amen Brother Preach it..Amen I think I will!!!!! Anyway this is caused by one of three things...1. Ignorance of the Scriptures  2. Unbelief  3. Disobedience. I am going to give you the reference scriptures for you to study on your own, because, I beleive GOD has presented to me and you exactly what HE want's us to see. John was simply a man, that wanted GOD in his life more than he wanted anything else. John was not a super-natural man. John was a human being, just like you and me. John had his priorites in order..GOD First and everything else next! Mark 1:6 tells us John's Diet and Dress. Luke 1: 1-80 tells us John's miracle birth. John 3:26-36 tells us John's reason for his ministry. Colossians 2:8-23 Gives us the warnings against philosophy and legality. Colossians 3:1-25 tells us CHRISTian Living and Believer's Union with CHRIST, now and here-after. Todays text is John1:15-51. Scripture reading and memorizing are found in John 1:27. To summarize, John's Mission Statement can be found in verse 23 of John Chapter 1. John saw JESUS as Exactly who HE is in John 1:36 " Behold The Lamb of GOD." John 1:19-23 puts John is the spot-light of all the religious leaders. The Jewish Leaders spiritual condition was Spiritual Ignorance, Spiritual Pride and Spiritual Confusion. John 1:23-27 the spot-light turns to CHRIST, John denies himself or deminishes himself and John Proclaims, Exalted CHRIST. John 1:29-34 places the Lamb of GOD in the spotlight..Baptism of the Lamb of GOD and Behold the Lamb of GOD. Did you realize that when John was being flocked around and being questioned, it was a very distinct possibility JESUS was standing in the midst and they didn't even know it. Let us recognize when GOD is in our midst and lets stop clouding HIS HOLINESS with our Pharisee Attitude and Actions. Let's not have our testimony for CHRIST be tainted. Being a Pharisee simply means to seperate and divide. When the world looks at me will they see JESUS? May GOD Bless the study of HIS Word. Until next time is my prayer!