WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:02.439 All right, if you have your Bibles, open those 00:00:02.439 --> 00:00:08.359 to Matthew 14. I was thinking about Father's 00:00:08.359 --> 00:00:10.839 Day, and I'm like, man, what could be a really 00:00:10.839 --> 00:00:14.720 encouraging passage for fathers? And I thought, 00:00:14.740 --> 00:00:16.719 what better encouragement than the beheading 00:00:16.719 --> 00:00:19.839 of John the Baptist? So that's where we are in, 00:00:19.940 --> 00:00:27.140 as providence would have it. Matthew 14, verses 00:00:27.140 --> 00:00:37.549 1 through 12. Matthew writes, he says, at that 00:00:37.549 --> 00:00:42.409 time, Herod the Tetrarch heard the report about 00:00:42.409 --> 00:00:46.229 Jesus and he said to his servants, this is John 00:00:46.229 --> 00:00:50.009 the Baptist. He's risen from the dead and that's 00:00:50.009 --> 00:00:53.630 why these powers are at work in him. And then 00:00:53.630 --> 00:00:56.310 Matthew explains, for Herod had laid hold of 00:00:56.310 --> 00:00:59.649 John and bound him and he put him in prison for 00:00:59.649 --> 00:01:02.829 the sake of Herodias, his brother Philip's wife. 00:01:03.820 --> 00:01:07.200 Because John had said to him, it's not lawful 00:01:07.200 --> 00:01:09.260 for you to have her. You don't get to marry your 00:01:09.260 --> 00:01:12.459 brother's wife. And although he wanted to put 00:01:12.459 --> 00:01:16.799 him to death, he, that is Herod, feared the multitude 00:01:16.799 --> 00:01:19.579 because they counted him, John, as a prophet. 00:01:20.560 --> 00:01:23.459 But when Herod's birthday was celebrated, the 00:01:23.459 --> 00:01:26.620 daughter of Herodias danced before them and pleased 00:01:26.620 --> 00:01:29.819 Herod. Therefore he promised with an oath to 00:01:29.819 --> 00:01:33.340 give her whatever she might ask. So she, having 00:01:33.340 --> 00:01:36.620 been prompted by her mother, said, Give me John 00:01:36.620 --> 00:01:39.620 the Baptist's head here on a platter. And the 00:01:39.620 --> 00:01:42.879 king was sorry. Nevertheless, because of the 00:01:42.879 --> 00:01:46.000 oath and because of those who sat with him, he 00:01:46.000 --> 00:01:49.540 commanded it to be given to her. So he sent and 00:01:49.540 --> 00:01:53.200 had John beheaded in prison. And his head was 00:01:53.200 --> 00:01:56.280 brought on a platter and given to the girl. She 00:01:56.280 --> 00:01:58.920 brought it to her mother. Then his disciples 00:01:58.920 --> 00:02:02.200 came. And they took away the body and buried 00:02:02.200 --> 00:02:07.340 it and went and told Jesus. Would you bow before 00:02:07.340 --> 00:02:09.419 me in asking God to help us as we look at this 00:02:09.419 --> 00:02:15.199 text? Our gracious God, Lord, would you help 00:02:15.199 --> 00:02:20.379 us this morning by means of your spirit to understand, 00:02:20.460 --> 00:02:24.840 Lord, not only the meaning of the text, but Lord, 00:02:24.879 --> 00:02:26.780 how it might apply to our own lives. Lord God, 00:02:26.840 --> 00:02:30.259 would you give illumination. But above all, Lord, 00:02:30.319 --> 00:02:32.819 I pray that your spirit would show us Christ. 00:02:34.000 --> 00:02:36.400 Lord, worship, if it is to be worship that pleases 00:02:36.400 --> 00:02:41.280 you, Father, must be pointing and derived in 00:02:41.280 --> 00:02:43.939 your Son, for he is the one in whom you're well 00:02:43.939 --> 00:02:46.780 pleased. God, I would ask, Lord, for your help 00:02:46.780 --> 00:02:49.020 and favor now for the glory and honor of Christ, 00:02:49.080 --> 00:02:54.389 we pray. Amen. There's an old adage that says 00:02:54.389 --> 00:02:56.150 if you want to keep peace at dinner parties, 00:02:56.289 --> 00:02:58.590 there are two topics that we should always avoid. 00:02:59.310 --> 00:03:01.009 And I guess it's not just dinner parties, it's 00:03:01.009 --> 00:03:02.650 wherever you go. If you want to keep peace, two 00:03:02.650 --> 00:03:04.930 topics you don't ever want to talk about. And 00:03:04.930 --> 00:03:09.110 they are politics and religion. Now we're told 00:03:09.110 --> 00:03:11.770 to avoid those because they can be so divisive. 00:03:12.530 --> 00:03:15.009 Yet interestingly enough, the scriptures don't 00:03:15.009 --> 00:03:18.789 shy away from either of those topics. Now, we 00:03:18.789 --> 00:03:21.430 need to say this. Of course, the Bible is not 00:03:21.430 --> 00:03:25.610 some political handbook, but it does speak into 00:03:25.610 --> 00:03:28.810 the political sphere. A couple of examples. The 00:03:28.810 --> 00:03:33.610 prophet Nathan, he confronted King David over 00:03:33.610 --> 00:03:37.669 his adulterous relationship with Bathsheba. If 00:03:37.669 --> 00:03:39.169 you go to the Old Testament as well, you see 00:03:39.169 --> 00:03:43.169 the prophet Elijah confronting evil King Ahab 00:03:43.169 --> 00:03:45.650 and telling him what he was doing was against 00:03:45.650 --> 00:03:48.780 the law of God. In fact, if you look at the prophet's 00:03:48.780 --> 00:03:51.340 job, one of their main descriptions would be, 00:03:51.400 --> 00:03:55.360 they must speak truth in the political or civic 00:03:55.360 --> 00:03:59.099 sphere. And the reason this is true is because 00:03:59.099 --> 00:04:04.039 all authority, all authority, is a delegated 00:04:04.039 --> 00:04:05.759 authority. Now we know that because in Matthew 00:04:05.759 --> 00:04:09.139 28, Jesus said, all authority, all power, it's 00:04:09.139 --> 00:04:11.539 the word authority there, exousia, is given to 00:04:11.539 --> 00:04:13.500 me in heaven and earth. There is no authority 00:04:13.500 --> 00:04:16.740 that Jesus doesn't have. So any authority whatsoever, 00:04:17.120 --> 00:04:19.720 civic, political, religious, ecclesiastical, 00:04:19.779 --> 00:04:22.740 it doesn't matter. All authority is a delegated 00:04:22.740 --> 00:04:24.939 authority, meaning it finds its source in God. 00:04:25.839 --> 00:04:28.740 And we see that in John 19. Do you remember Jesus 00:04:28.740 --> 00:04:31.079 is standing before Pilate, who was the Roman 00:04:31.079 --> 00:04:34.839 prefect. Pilate thought he was a big shot. And 00:04:34.839 --> 00:04:36.660 he says, he looked at Jesus and he said, what, 00:04:36.680 --> 00:04:38.920 you're not going to answer me? Don't you know 00:04:38.920 --> 00:04:41.759 what I could do to you? And Jesus answers in 00:04:41.759 --> 00:04:45.079 John 19, 11. He said, you could have no power. 00:04:49.950 --> 00:04:53.589 He said, don't get too proud there. He said, 00:04:53.629 --> 00:04:57.389 basically, Jesus is telling Pilate that the Roman 00:04:57.389 --> 00:05:02.689 Empire was not ultimate. The ultimate authority 00:05:02.689 --> 00:05:06.430 is God himself. Pilate only held that position 00:05:06.430 --> 00:05:09.870 because God had seen fit to give it to him. God 00:05:09.870 --> 00:05:14.209 ordains governing authorities, and they are subject 00:05:14.209 --> 00:05:17.839 to him. authorities. Romans chapter 13 verse 00:05:17.839 --> 00:05:21.579 1. Let every soul, there's no clarification, 00:05:22.000 --> 00:05:26.759 let every soul, all people, be subject to the 00:05:26.759 --> 00:05:29.959 governing authorities for there is no authority 00:05:29.959 --> 00:05:33.259 except from God. And the authorities that be 00:05:33.259 --> 00:05:37.860 or the authorities that exist are appointed by 00:05:37.860 --> 00:05:42.160 God. Government is God's servant. It does not 00:05:42.160 --> 00:05:44.899 exist independently of God as though it were 00:05:44.899 --> 00:05:48.079 morally autonomous. Government does not get to 00:05:48.079 --> 00:05:51.199 make its own moral code. Now, each sovereign 00:05:51.199 --> 00:05:56.100 nation is free to enact its own civic laws. It's 00:05:56.100 --> 00:05:58.839 free to do that, but it cannot enact its own 00:05:58.839 --> 00:06:04.240 moral law. All rulers are accountable to God, 00:06:04.360 --> 00:06:09.139 and the church has grounds to remind those rulers. 00:06:09.639 --> 00:06:13.660 of God's standards. We have the moral authority 00:06:13.660 --> 00:06:16.639 to make sure that our leaders know the law of 00:06:16.639 --> 00:06:20.040 God. So that means even political leaders, even 00:06:20.040 --> 00:06:22.779 a pluralistic society like our own, even civic 00:06:22.779 --> 00:06:26.379 leaders, they are still under the moral law of 00:06:26.379 --> 00:06:29.519 God. Now I do want to note something that's very 00:06:29.519 --> 00:06:33.120 important. The church does not create moral truth. 00:06:34.279 --> 00:06:37.860 It bears witness to the truth. The truth is found 00:06:37.860 --> 00:06:40.730 in the Godhead. So the church has always had 00:06:40.730 --> 00:06:42.629 a prophetic voice, always. And it's important 00:06:42.629 --> 00:06:45.329 that we see this. We have a mandate, a command 00:06:45.329 --> 00:06:47.910 from God that you and I as collective church 00:06:47.910 --> 00:06:50.810 members, as a collective body, has to be light 00:06:50.810 --> 00:06:53.569 in this world and bear witness to the light. 00:06:53.910 --> 00:06:56.889 Now, what do I mean by prophetic voice when I 00:06:56.889 --> 00:06:58.730 say that the church has this prophetic voice 00:06:58.730 --> 00:07:02.449 or arm? This is when the church clearly speaks 00:07:02.449 --> 00:07:06.569 the truth of God's law to the contemporary culture, 00:07:06.769 --> 00:07:11.189 secular culture. So we speak prophetically when 00:07:11.189 --> 00:07:15.689 the church proclaims truth and moral order in 00:07:15.689 --> 00:07:19.189 a dark world. Now this is very problematic and 00:07:19.189 --> 00:07:21.449 you have to be very careful. The church must 00:07:21.449 --> 00:07:24.209 be careful when it claims to be speaking prophetically. 00:07:24.550 --> 00:07:27.670 This cannot be some rationale to simply push 00:07:27.670 --> 00:07:31.129 our own political agenda. It cannot be rationale 00:07:31.129 --> 00:07:33.709 to simply endorse our own political candidate. 00:07:34.050 --> 00:07:36.850 That is an abuse of power when that takes place. 00:07:37.699 --> 00:07:40.120 But when the church is speaking truth, when we're 00:07:40.120 --> 00:07:43.319 speaking prophetically, there must be a clear 00:07:43.319 --> 00:07:48.240 biblical mandate behind it. And by clear biblical 00:07:48.240 --> 00:07:52.759 mandate, I mean a thus saith the Lord that we're 00:07:52.759 --> 00:07:55.959 proclaiming. Let me give you one decision and 00:07:55.959 --> 00:07:57.639 I'll explain why I'm taking the time to do this. 00:07:58.259 --> 00:08:01.879 In the Obergefell decision that the Supreme Court 00:08:01.879 --> 00:08:06.170 handed down, when we codified... as a nation, 00:08:06.269 --> 00:08:10.350 so -called gay marriage. The church, prophetically 00:08:10.350 --> 00:08:13.050 and rightly, lifted up her voice and opposed 00:08:13.050 --> 00:08:16.829 vehemently that decision, saying the government 00:08:16.829 --> 00:08:22.290 had no authority to redefine marriage. Marriage 00:08:22.290 --> 00:08:26.550 was not instituted by the state. Marriage had 00:08:26.550 --> 00:08:30.529 been instituted by God, and God alone determines 00:08:30.529 --> 00:08:35.200 what is and is not marriage. So when the state 00:08:35.200 --> 00:08:40.759 enshrines into law what violates God's moral 00:08:40.759 --> 00:08:46.320 law or even natural law, we must raise our voice. 00:08:46.620 --> 00:08:50.360 We cannot be silent. James Cassidy wrote an article 00:08:50.360 --> 00:08:52.259 called The Church's Prophetic Voice and he said 00:08:52.259 --> 00:08:56.019 this, In the history of God's people, there have 00:08:56.019 --> 00:08:58.639 been various and sundry occasions when the church 00:08:58.639 --> 00:09:01.399 has been called upon to speak to the civil government. 00:09:02.090 --> 00:09:05.629 After all, God alone is the one true king of 00:09:05.629 --> 00:09:09.909 all nations who serve at his command. And the 00:09:09.909 --> 00:09:13.309 church as the kingdom of God is the place in 00:09:13.309 --> 00:09:15.450 which the word God speaks to not only his people, 00:09:15.590 --> 00:09:21.429 but to all peoples everywhere, including civil 00:09:21.429 --> 00:09:25.230 governments. In ages past, God spoke through 00:09:25.230 --> 00:09:27.490 the prophets to civil governments in extraordinary 00:09:27.490 --> 00:09:30.450 circumstances. You know, I mentioned Nathan with 00:09:30.450 --> 00:09:34.350 King David. But think about Daniel. Daniel would 00:09:34.350 --> 00:09:38.029 often speak to pagan Babylonian kings about God 00:09:38.029 --> 00:09:41.029 and his rule. You have John the Baptist in our 00:09:41.029 --> 00:09:44.470 text today calling out King Herod over his sexual 00:09:44.470 --> 00:09:47.629 immorality. So what I'm saying, and I want to 00:09:47.629 --> 00:09:50.289 get to my point in a moment, if and when the 00:09:50.289 --> 00:09:55.289 state enacts a law or codifies a violation of 00:09:55.289 --> 00:09:58.429 God's moral law, the church can't keep silent. 00:09:58.929 --> 00:10:01.860 We've got to lift our voice. Now, we're not going 00:10:01.860 --> 00:10:05.159 to speak out, or we should not, on what a tax 00:10:05.159 --> 00:10:08.320 code might be or an immigration policy or even 00:10:08.320 --> 00:10:10.360 foreign policy ought to be. Now, we can all have 00:10:10.360 --> 00:10:12.519 varying opinions. We can all think our opinions 00:10:12.519 --> 00:10:15.100 are informed by biblical mandate. But there is 00:10:15.100 --> 00:10:18.379 nothing that would be clearly biblical to enact 00:10:18.379 --> 00:10:20.980 laws like that. We can't do it. So we have to 00:10:20.980 --> 00:10:24.659 be careful. One last quote. There's a great Princeton 00:10:24.659 --> 00:10:28.000 theologian. His name was Charles Hodge. And he 00:10:28.000 --> 00:10:31.740 wrote, But he didn't write a whole lot on politics. 00:10:31.960 --> 00:10:34.440 But this I thought was interesting. He said the 00:10:34.440 --> 00:10:37.559 church has nothing to do with the state in the 00:10:37.559 --> 00:10:40.159 exercise of its discretion within its own sphere. 00:10:40.639 --> 00:10:43.000 And therefore has no right to meddle with questions 00:10:43.000 --> 00:10:45.299 of policy, whether that policy be foreign or 00:10:45.299 --> 00:10:48.980 domestic. And that they profane the pulpit when 00:10:48.980 --> 00:10:51.940 they preach politics or turn this sacred desk 00:10:51.940 --> 00:10:54.899 into a rostrum for lectures on secular affairs. 00:10:55.179 --> 00:10:57.720 Amen. I agree with everything Charles Hodge just 00:10:57.720 --> 00:11:01.629 said there. said there. Nevertheless, he did 00:11:01.629 --> 00:11:05.049 acknowledge there is a time though when the church 00:11:05.049 --> 00:11:09.669 must speak into the civic sphere. If the state 00:11:09.669 --> 00:11:13.950 passes any laws contrary to the law of God, then 00:11:13.950 --> 00:11:17.110 it is the duty of the church to whom God has 00:11:17.110 --> 00:11:19.690 committed the great work of asserting and maintaining 00:11:19.690 --> 00:11:24.090 his truth and will to protect and remonstrate. 00:11:24.110 --> 00:11:27.039 I don't know that. You all see it, to protest. 00:11:27.200 --> 00:11:30.139 Let's use that word, okay? It's a remonstrance, 00:11:30.179 --> 00:11:32.740 I know that. If the state does anything directly 00:11:32.740 --> 00:11:36.220 contrary to the law of God, the church is bound 00:11:36.220 --> 00:11:39.220 to make that law known and set it home upon the 00:11:39.220 --> 00:11:42.399 conscience of all concerned. Okay, great. Now 00:11:42.399 --> 00:11:44.379 you're saying, why, pastor, are you taking the 00:11:44.379 --> 00:11:47.759 time to say all that? Why explain all that? Because 00:11:47.759 --> 00:11:50.690 of our text. Here in our text this morning, John 00:11:50.690 --> 00:11:52.990 the Baptist, that great prophet, he's going to 00:11:52.990 --> 00:11:56.309 lose his life. Yea, he will lose his head for 00:11:56.309 --> 00:11:59.610 simply speaking the truth of God into the political 00:11:59.610 --> 00:12:03.669 sphere. John, as a courageous man, refused to 00:12:03.669 --> 00:12:06.830 be silenced and he would not stop speaking the 00:12:06.830 --> 00:12:09.750 truth. And here we are in this Father's Day and 00:12:09.750 --> 00:12:11.429 it is providential that we're here in this passage. 00:12:12.090 --> 00:12:15.049 We do see the courage of a real man. We see the 00:12:15.049 --> 00:12:17.289 courage of a true prophet of God who is bold. 00:12:17.690 --> 00:12:20.070 and who was also unapologetic, who would lift 00:12:20.070 --> 00:12:24.210 up his voice for truth. So there's a showdown 00:12:24.210 --> 00:12:27.850 coming, and today it's here. You have King Herod, 00:12:27.850 --> 00:12:29.289 and I'll explain in a moment, he's not really 00:12:29.289 --> 00:12:32.350 a king, and John the Baptist. Now, who is this 00:12:32.350 --> 00:12:35.029 Herod? Because if you're not paying careful attention, 00:12:35.269 --> 00:12:38.149 we read the word Herod, and there are many Herods 00:12:38.149 --> 00:12:40.070 in the New Testament, and they're not the same. 00:12:41.149 --> 00:12:45.169 Herod is the name of a family dynasty. It's not 00:12:45.169 --> 00:12:47.600 an individual name. It's kind of like the title 00:12:47.600 --> 00:12:50.600 Caesar. There were many Caesars in Rome. There 00:12:50.600 --> 00:12:54.720 were many Herods in Israel. So it's a family 00:12:54.720 --> 00:12:58.379 who ruled over parts of Israel. Now they ruled 00:12:58.379 --> 00:13:00.679 under Roman authority. That's technically why 00:13:00.679 --> 00:13:03.700 they weren't kings. And their reign was primarily 00:13:03.700 --> 00:13:05.940 during the time of Jesus and the early church. 00:13:06.460 --> 00:13:08.840 The very first Herod that is mentioned is found 00:13:08.840 --> 00:13:11.860 in Matthew chapter 2. This is Herod the Great. 00:13:12.639 --> 00:13:15.259 He is the one known as King Herod, and he was 00:13:15.259 --> 00:13:17.179 the one that was ruling at the time of Jesus' 00:13:17.399 --> 00:13:21.480 birth. He was also the one who gave that evil 00:13:21.480 --> 00:13:25.500 law that all the male children in Bethlehem and 00:13:25.500 --> 00:13:27.679 the surrounding area who were two years and under 00:13:27.679 --> 00:13:31.200 should be murdered. That's him. Now, he wanted 00:13:31.200 --> 00:13:33.730 to destroy the Christ child. Because remember, 00:13:33.889 --> 00:13:36.690 when the Magi came and said, where is the king 00:13:36.690 --> 00:13:39.230 of the Jews who had been born? He thought himself 00:13:39.230 --> 00:13:41.690 as the king of the Jews, so he wanted to wipe 00:13:41.690 --> 00:13:45.090 out any rival power. Well, eventually he dies. 00:13:45.149 --> 00:13:47.269 Herod the Great dies, and his rule is divided 00:13:47.269 --> 00:13:50.289 into a Tetrarchy. Tetrarchy is ruled by four, 00:13:50.350 --> 00:13:52.549 but it's actually divided between three of his 00:13:52.549 --> 00:13:55.230 sons. Two Tetrarchs, one Ethnarch. Doesn't matter 00:13:55.230 --> 00:13:58.769 the terms. So you have Herod Antipas. Now this 00:13:58.769 --> 00:13:59.850 is one we're going to see in our text today. 00:14:00.509 --> 00:14:03.629 He's the ruler of Galilee, the Tetrarch of Galilee. 00:14:03.750 --> 00:14:05.509 He's the most prominent in the New Testament. 00:14:05.730 --> 00:14:08.409 He's the one who executed John the Baptist. He's 00:14:08.409 --> 00:14:10.889 also the one who interrogated the Lord Jesus 00:14:10.889 --> 00:14:13.389 Christ. So when you read about Herod, it's not 00:14:13.389 --> 00:14:14.929 Herod the Great there. This is Herod Antipas. 00:14:15.789 --> 00:14:20.009 He had a brother, Philip. He was Tetrarch there 00:14:20.009 --> 00:14:23.070 of Eteria and Trachonitis. So these are the territories 00:14:23.070 --> 00:14:26.629 northeast of the Sea of Galilee. And then you 00:14:26.629 --> 00:14:30.519 have another Herod, Herod Archelaus. He's an 00:14:30.519 --> 00:14:32.519 ethnarch, so he ruled over an ethnic community, 00:14:32.799 --> 00:14:36.360 Judea, Samaria, and Edomia. Now he was an awful 00:14:36.360 --> 00:14:40.399 ruler. He was so awful that Rome exiled him, 00:14:40.559 --> 00:14:44.919 and in his place they put in Pontius Pilate, 00:14:44.940 --> 00:14:48.179 who would rule over that area. Now later in the 00:14:48.179 --> 00:14:49.620 book of Acts, there's two more Herods mentioned. 00:14:50.059 --> 00:14:52.500 You have Herod Agrippa, known as Herod Agrippa 00:14:52.500 --> 00:14:56.679 I. He is the one who beheaded James. James would 00:14:56.679 --> 00:14:59.070 have been the grandson of Herod the Great. All 00:14:59.070 --> 00:15:01.470 these Herods. Then you had Herod Agrippa II. 00:15:02.009 --> 00:15:05.009 He was the one who actually wanted to hear Paul 00:15:05.009 --> 00:15:07.009 when he gave his defense. I don't know if you 00:15:07.009 --> 00:15:08.830 remember that later in the book of Acts. That's 00:15:08.830 --> 00:15:10.990 Herod Agrippa II. He would have been the great 00:15:10.990 --> 00:15:13.690 -grandson of Herod the Great. So that's the context. 00:15:14.309 --> 00:15:17.549 Now remember in chapter 13, Jesus had gone back 00:15:17.549 --> 00:15:20.889 to his hometown of Nazareth. He was rejected 00:15:20.889 --> 00:15:24.950 by those who had known him since childhood. So 00:15:24.950 --> 00:15:28.139 as we continue in chapter 14, Matthew... The 00:15:28.139 --> 00:15:30.960 writer is continuing the scene of the misunderstanding 00:15:30.960 --> 00:15:36.360 of who Jesus really is. There is widespread confusion 00:15:36.360 --> 00:15:40.659 over Jesus' identity. And in this opening section, 00:15:40.899 --> 00:15:45.139 you meet Herod. He thinks that Jesus is John 00:15:45.139 --> 00:15:49.840 the Baptist who had risen from the dead. A little 00:15:49.840 --> 00:15:53.379 paranoia, don't you think? I mean, Herod had 00:15:53.379 --> 00:15:56.629 John beheaded in prison. Now he hears about this 00:15:56.629 --> 00:15:59.149 miracle worker in Galilee and he's like, oh man, 00:15:59.269 --> 00:16:03.889 I'm in trouble. I know who that is. That's John. 00:16:04.110 --> 00:16:07.429 He's come back to life. Now Matthew is writing 00:16:07.429 --> 00:16:11.250 about this event. Not so much about John the 00:16:11.250 --> 00:16:13.029 Baptist and a history lesson concerning him, 00:16:13.210 --> 00:16:18.090 but rather this is a foreshadowing. What happened 00:16:18.090 --> 00:16:22.809 to John, his execution, will soon happen to Jesus. 00:16:23.960 --> 00:16:26.500 Just as John lost his life, Jesus will lose his. 00:16:27.500 --> 00:16:29.899 John was rumored to have risen from the dead. 00:16:30.679 --> 00:16:33.080 The Lord Jesus Christ will actually rise from 00:16:33.080 --> 00:16:35.639 the dead in victory. So we see the theme of death 00:16:35.639 --> 00:16:38.419 and resurrection being introduced into the text. 00:16:38.879 --> 00:16:40.759 Now look at verses 1 and 2 as we work our way 00:16:40.759 --> 00:16:44.019 through this. At that time, Herod the Tetrarch, 00:16:44.139 --> 00:16:46.519 he heard the report about Jesus. He said, this 00:16:46.519 --> 00:16:49.340 is John. He's risen. I know it. That's why these 00:16:49.340 --> 00:16:52.120 miracles are being done. So you have Herod Antipas. 00:16:52.179 --> 00:16:56.120 Where was he ruling? In Galilee. Where was Jesus' 00:16:56.320 --> 00:16:59.820 base of operations? In Galilee. Where did Jesus 00:16:59.820 --> 00:17:03.200 do most of his miracles? In Galilee. So it makes 00:17:03.200 --> 00:17:06.559 sense that Herod heard about this man because 00:17:06.559 --> 00:17:09.660 keep in mind, as we had seen, massive crowds 00:17:09.660 --> 00:17:12.640 are following Jesus. They're hanging on his every 00:17:12.640 --> 00:17:14.900 word. And certainly that would have caught the 00:17:14.900 --> 00:17:18.259 gaze of any political leader. Political leaders 00:17:18.259 --> 00:17:20.140 were very paranoid because people were always 00:17:20.140 --> 00:17:23.250 trying to depose them. Now some at that time 00:17:23.250 --> 00:17:26.650 were saying Jesus was Elijah reincarnate. This 00:17:26.650 --> 00:17:29.809 is Elijah, come back. Others said, no, he's the 00:17:29.809 --> 00:17:32.190 great prophet. Others said, no, he's just one 00:17:32.190 --> 00:17:35.089 of the prophets. And then Herod weighed in. He's 00:17:35.089 --> 00:17:37.509 like, no, you guys, you're all wrong. That's 00:17:37.509 --> 00:17:40.250 John the Baptist risen from the dead. And we 00:17:40.250 --> 00:17:43.009 see that in Mark 6, the parallel passage. Now 00:17:43.009 --> 00:17:46.150 King Herod heard of Jesus, for his name had become 00:17:46.150 --> 00:17:49.220 well known. Of course it had. And he said, John 00:17:49.220 --> 00:17:51.680 the Baptist is risen from the dead, and therefore 00:17:51.680 --> 00:17:55.480 these powers, these miracles, that's why they're 00:17:55.480 --> 00:18:01.099 at work in him. Now, Herod is part Jewish, but 00:18:01.099 --> 00:18:04.440 only in name. He's very superstitious, and he 00:18:04.440 --> 00:18:07.160 lives like a pagan, technically under the law. 00:18:07.819 --> 00:18:10.119 His conscience was bothering him, and we'll see 00:18:10.119 --> 00:18:13.180 why in a minute. This is how he arrived at that 00:18:13.180 --> 00:18:15.680 bizarre conclusion that somehow Jesus must be 00:18:15.680 --> 00:18:19.299 John. Raised or resurrected. First of all, that 00:18:19.299 --> 00:18:21.339 doesn't even make sense. What's the age difference 00:18:21.339 --> 00:18:24.099 between Jesus and John the Baptist? Six months. 00:18:24.740 --> 00:18:27.000 Just six months is all that's between them. And 00:18:27.000 --> 00:18:29.779 besides, John had been executed not that long 00:18:29.779 --> 00:18:33.119 ago. There's no way, because Jesus would have 00:18:33.119 --> 00:18:34.940 been doing miracles before John had even been 00:18:34.940 --> 00:18:37.799 executed. So it doesn't make sense. Secondly, 00:18:37.920 --> 00:18:40.579 do you remember, John tells us in John 10 .41 00:18:40.579 --> 00:18:44.420 that John the Baptist did no miracles. None. 00:18:44.910 --> 00:18:47.710 No recorded miracles of him. So why would Herod 00:18:47.710 --> 00:18:50.950 assume that a miracle worker must be John the 00:18:50.950 --> 00:18:55.569 Baptist resurrected? Because he's paranoid. Why? 00:18:55.690 --> 00:19:00.049 Look at verse 3 through 5. What did he do? For 00:19:00.049 --> 00:19:03.650 Herod had laid hold of John and bound him and 00:19:03.650 --> 00:19:07.490 put him in prison. Why? For the sake of his wife, 00:19:07.670 --> 00:19:10.849 Herodias, another Herod. We'll get to that. But 00:19:10.849 --> 00:19:13.049 that's his brother Philip's wife. And that, by 00:19:13.049 --> 00:19:14.839 the way, was known as Herod Philip. Herod II. 00:19:14.920 --> 00:19:17.660 I know all that gets confusing, but because John 00:19:17.660 --> 00:19:20.200 said to him, you can't have her. You can't get 00:19:20.200 --> 00:19:22.319 her to do that. Now it says in Luke verse 5, 00:19:22.420 --> 00:19:24.380 he wanted to kill him. He wanted to put him to 00:19:24.380 --> 00:19:26.819 death, but he feared the multitude because they 00:19:26.819 --> 00:19:29.880 thought John was a prophet. So now the plot thickens 00:19:29.880 --> 00:19:32.680 just a little bit here, doesn't it? So Herod 00:19:32.680 --> 00:19:35.359 Antipas had fallen in love with his sister -in 00:19:35.359 --> 00:19:38.279 -law, his brother Philip, or Herod Philip's wife. 00:19:39.039 --> 00:19:42.279 And this happened on a trip to Rome. So he came 00:19:42.279 --> 00:19:45.980 home. He divorced his own wife and he married 00:19:45.980 --> 00:19:49.119 Philip's wife, whose name was Herodias, because 00:19:49.119 --> 00:19:51.339 she's the granddaughter of Herod the Great, the 00:19:51.339 --> 00:19:54.400 niece of Herod, by the way. So now you've got 00:19:54.400 --> 00:19:57.720 a really bizarre thing going on, right? Herodias 00:19:57.720 --> 00:20:01.759 was Herod and Philip's niece and Philip's wife 00:20:01.759 --> 00:20:04.619 and now Herod's wife. Are you following me here? 00:20:05.640 --> 00:20:09.119 I know, it's very messed up. So their union was 00:20:09.119 --> 00:20:14.259 not only adulterous, It was incestuous and a 00:20:14.259 --> 00:20:19.039 gross violation of God's moral law. And John 00:20:19.039 --> 00:20:21.900 the Baptist would not sit idly by and take it. 00:20:21.960 --> 00:20:24.559 He's going to lift up his voice and say, that 00:20:24.559 --> 00:20:27.299 is evil and you don't get away with it. So John, 00:20:27.440 --> 00:20:30.960 using the prophetic arm, he rightly lifted up 00:20:30.960 --> 00:20:33.440 his voice. He spoke the truth to Herod and that 00:20:33.440 --> 00:20:36.759 ticked him off. That made him and his wife very 00:20:36.759 --> 00:20:40.839 angry. But it didn't matter to John. God's law 00:20:40.839 --> 00:20:43.319 equally applies to kings as it does to peasants. 00:20:44.059 --> 00:20:48.079 No one stands above the authority of God. But 00:20:48.079 --> 00:20:50.180 this royal couple was being publicly embarrassed. 00:20:51.039 --> 00:20:54.220 Their name was being besmirched because you have 00:20:54.220 --> 00:20:57.940 this prophet who is ruining their standing among 00:20:57.940 --> 00:21:00.740 the people. Because John was out there saying 00:21:00.740 --> 00:21:03.900 to everyone, listen, their marriage is unlawful 00:21:03.900 --> 00:21:06.119 and that's going to invite the judgment of God. 00:21:07.980 --> 00:21:09.759 is going to lose status in the community and 00:21:09.759 --> 00:21:11.759 people aren't going to respect him. So the next 00:21:11.759 --> 00:21:13.420 thing they know, Rome's going to depose him. 00:21:13.539 --> 00:21:17.019 I've got to get rid of this prophet. So you have 00:21:17.019 --> 00:21:20.700 John the Baptist, a thorn in Herod's side. Just 00:21:20.700 --> 00:21:24.779 shut up, John. But he wouldn't. John was widely 00:21:24.779 --> 00:21:27.319 popular though. And he was viewed as a prophet 00:21:27.319 --> 00:21:29.140 and he was. And by the way, that's the first 00:21:29.140 --> 00:21:32.140 prophet in over 400 years. So this is a big deal. 00:21:32.500 --> 00:21:35.019 That's why Herod was afraid to kill him. He's 00:21:35.019 --> 00:21:36.819 going to have a revolt or mutiny on his hands. 00:21:37.700 --> 00:21:40.500 So he said, I'm going to put him in prison. Now, 00:21:40.519 --> 00:21:43.440 what was John's crying? He simply told him, your 00:21:43.440 --> 00:21:46.460 marriage is in violation to God's law. Go back 00:21:46.460 --> 00:21:48.000 and look at the history of English kings and 00:21:48.000 --> 00:21:50.960 see when clerics and pastors would tell the king, 00:21:51.140 --> 00:21:53.599 look at King Henry VIII. You didn't want to tell 00:21:53.599 --> 00:21:55.839 him anything, right? I mean, like, we know this 00:21:55.839 --> 00:21:57.420 is what happens. They don't want to hear the 00:21:57.420 --> 00:22:01.059 truth. But we don't have a choice, friends. We 00:22:01.059 --> 00:22:05.539 must stand for righteousness. J .C. Ryle, I love 00:22:05.539 --> 00:22:08.500 his writing. He said, kings find it easier to 00:22:08.500 --> 00:22:11.579 imprison and behead the preacher than to bind 00:22:11.579 --> 00:22:14.660 his sermon and silence the voice of his reproof 00:22:14.660 --> 00:22:18.059 in their own hearts. God's witnesses may be put 00:22:18.059 --> 00:22:20.640 out of the way, you can kill them, but their 00:22:20.640 --> 00:22:24.079 testimony often lives and works on long after 00:22:24.079 --> 00:22:26.799 they are dead. God's prophets don't live forever, 00:22:26.940 --> 00:22:30.180 but their words often survive them. That's the 00:22:30.180 --> 00:22:33.380 case with here. It took a lot of courage. It 00:22:33.380 --> 00:22:35.619 took a lot of metal, if you will, for John the 00:22:35.619 --> 00:22:37.940 Baptist to speak like he did to Herod. Because 00:22:37.940 --> 00:22:40.420 the truth is, Herod had been given quite a bit 00:22:40.420 --> 00:22:43.579 of authority from the Roman government. And John 00:22:43.579 --> 00:22:47.740 would not be deterred. Why? He feared God more 00:22:47.740 --> 00:22:50.559 than he feared the king. He feared God more than 00:22:50.559 --> 00:22:53.960 he feared Rome. See, but the problem was, it 00:22:53.960 --> 00:22:56.839 wasn't just Herod that wanted him dead. Now, 00:22:56.839 --> 00:22:58.279 I'm telling you ladies, you get you guys mad. 00:22:58.660 --> 00:23:00.359 Herod's, I mean, Herod's bad. He put him in prison. 00:23:00.559 --> 00:23:03.309 Herodias, she's in... In a total different category 00:23:03.309 --> 00:23:05.190 of herself. She's going to take care of what 00:23:05.190 --> 00:23:06.930 Herod's afraid to take care of. She's going to 00:23:06.930 --> 00:23:08.089 come up and back cleaner. And she's going to 00:23:08.089 --> 00:23:12.089 take care of it. She hated John even more. She 00:23:12.089 --> 00:23:14.789 doesn't want him just in prison. She wants to 00:23:14.789 --> 00:23:17.730 see him in the grave. So she develops. And I'll 00:23:17.730 --> 00:23:19.910 get to this. There's many that think she developed 00:23:19.910 --> 00:23:22.470 this plot. And I agree with them. In verses 6 00:23:22.470 --> 00:23:24.769 through 8. So Herod had a big birthday celebration. 00:23:25.450 --> 00:23:27.049 Birthdays were not widely celebrated in the ancient 00:23:27.049 --> 00:23:29.769 culture. Unless you had political leaders. So 00:23:29.769 --> 00:23:32.910 now the daughter of Herodias. We know from another 00:23:32.910 --> 00:23:36.450 passage her name is Salome. She danced before 00:23:36.450 --> 00:23:40.910 Herod and his friends. Therefore, and he liked 00:23:40.910 --> 00:23:42.109 it. He liked the way she was dancing for him. 00:23:42.529 --> 00:23:44.170 So he promised to give her whatever you want 00:23:44.170 --> 00:23:47.009 to ask, I'll give it to you. So she's like, oh 00:23:47.009 --> 00:23:49.789 mom, what should I ask? And her mother, knowing 00:23:49.789 --> 00:23:52.930 her husband, knew that Herod would probably do 00:23:52.930 --> 00:23:55.269 that and says, go ask for John the Baptist's 00:23:55.269 --> 00:23:59.150 head on a charger, on a platter, right now. So 00:23:59.150 --> 00:24:01.779 now Herod is an important public... political 00:24:01.779 --> 00:24:04.460 figure, right? So his birthday would be a large 00:24:04.460 --> 00:24:08.519 celebration, a large bash. Many important dignitaries 00:24:08.519 --> 00:24:12.160 attending, probably Roman dignitaries. Now his 00:24:12.160 --> 00:24:16.279 stepdaughter, who is also his great niece, is 00:24:16.279 --> 00:24:18.700 the one dancing. This is Herodias' daughter, 00:24:18.819 --> 00:24:20.680 Salome. This is his brother Philip's daughter, 00:24:20.799 --> 00:24:24.380 by the way. She's dancing before him and his 00:24:24.380 --> 00:24:27.539 guests. Now this party would have been likely 00:24:27.539 --> 00:24:33.029 wine -filled lusts field and the dance more than 00:24:33.029 --> 00:24:35.890 likely was an exotic dance being performed. The 00:24:35.890 --> 00:24:39.369 whole scenario is grossly wicked. That's what's 00:24:39.369 --> 00:24:42.789 taking place here. Some suggest, and I think 00:24:42.789 --> 00:24:45.710 they're right here, Herodias knew that her husband 00:24:45.710 --> 00:24:49.250 had been lusting after her daughter and she arranged 00:24:49.250 --> 00:24:52.670 this whole thing in order to get her away and 00:24:52.670 --> 00:24:54.769 get rid of John the Baptist once and for all. 00:24:55.529 --> 00:24:58.789 So the young girl goes to dance. She pleases 00:24:58.789 --> 00:25:02.160 Herod. So he makes this big promise. He's the 00:25:02.160 --> 00:25:04.140 big man. He's got to look big in front of everyone. 00:25:04.640 --> 00:25:07.039 He makes this grandiose promise, and he swears 00:25:07.039 --> 00:25:10.940 with an oath. Now, he was assuming, I think, 00:25:11.039 --> 00:25:13.259 she's a young girl. She's going to ask for gold, 00:25:13.380 --> 00:25:16.140 silver, maybe some clothes, maybe some property. 00:25:17.460 --> 00:25:20.400 But instead, she leaves the room, and she goes 00:25:20.400 --> 00:25:22.400 and asks her mom. We know that from Mark 6, 24. 00:25:22.680 --> 00:25:25.700 So she went out. Herodias is not in there, mostly 00:25:25.700 --> 00:25:28.799 just men. And she says, why should I ask mom? 00:25:31.409 --> 00:25:35.809 Cold, calculated. John the Baptist had. There 00:25:35.809 --> 00:25:39.990 you have it. Herodias wants John out of her way. 00:25:40.890 --> 00:25:44.009 I want to shut him up forever. I want him to 00:25:44.009 --> 00:25:47.869 stop embarrassing us. And how? She wants immediate, 00:25:48.109 --> 00:25:52.869 visible proof that John is dead. Not just in 00:25:52.869 --> 00:25:55.970 prison. So her daughter comes back in front of 00:25:55.970 --> 00:25:59.049 all the guests and all the dignitaries. And she's 00:25:59.049 --> 00:26:03.329 like, I know what I want now. Tell me. Give me 00:26:03.329 --> 00:26:08.309 that prophet's head right now on a charger. And 00:26:08.309 --> 00:26:12.109 John was executed for the crime of speaking the 00:26:12.109 --> 00:26:14.670 truth to a corrupt politician and his adulterous 00:26:14.670 --> 00:26:18.269 wife. That's why he was killed. Look at verse 00:26:18.269 --> 00:26:23.109 9. And the king was sorry. You bet he was. He's 00:26:23.109 --> 00:26:26.329 scared. Nevertheless, because of those and because 00:26:26.329 --> 00:26:28.069 of those who sat with him, he can't be publicly 00:26:28.069 --> 00:26:30.250 embarrassed. His pride won't let him do that. 00:26:30.759 --> 00:26:33.420 He commanded it to be given to her, so he sent 00:26:33.420 --> 00:26:36.039 and had John beheaded in prison, and his head 00:26:36.039 --> 00:26:38.619 was brought on a platter. What a great birthday 00:26:38.619 --> 00:26:42.140 gift, right? And given to the girl. What's she 00:26:42.140 --> 00:26:44.720 going to do with it? Here, Mom. There you go. 00:26:45.640 --> 00:26:49.940 So we read that Herod's sorry, but he's not repentant. 00:26:51.339 --> 00:26:53.460 There's a worldly sorrow that leads to death, 00:26:53.539 --> 00:26:56.660 and this is the case. And there's a godly sorrow 00:26:56.660 --> 00:27:00.200 that leads to repentance. Herod was sorry in 00:27:00.200 --> 00:27:01.759 the sense that he knew that John the Baptist 00:27:01.759 --> 00:27:03.700 was a prophet. He knew that. He knew that John 00:27:03.700 --> 00:27:05.759 the Baptist was a righteous man. He also knew 00:27:05.759 --> 00:27:07.519 that John the Baptist did not deserve death. 00:27:09.400 --> 00:27:13.980 This is why he was filled with fear. He is violating 00:27:13.980 --> 00:27:17.460 his own conscience here. He, I believe Herod, 00:27:17.460 --> 00:27:19.799 was not expecting Herodias to ask for John's 00:27:19.799 --> 00:27:23.680 head, but she did. And he does not want to be 00:27:23.680 --> 00:27:26.039 embarrassed. He doesn't want to lose face in 00:27:26.039 --> 00:27:28.380 front of them. After all, he had sworn with an 00:27:28.380 --> 00:27:31.220 oath, tell me what you want, daughter. You can 00:27:31.220 --> 00:27:35.319 have it all. And this is a sad commentary on 00:27:35.319 --> 00:27:40.720 life. Herod feared man more than he feared God. 00:27:41.880 --> 00:27:43.779 And that's a terrible choice in light of eternity. 00:27:45.359 --> 00:27:48.099 So many people, they shipwreck their lives, they 00:27:48.099 --> 00:27:51.559 shipwreck their faith. They will not follow the 00:27:51.559 --> 00:27:56.240 crucified Christ. They fear man. I look foolish. 00:27:56.940 --> 00:28:00.039 I'm going to be rejected. I'll lose my standing. 00:28:01.180 --> 00:28:03.680 The courage to do right will disappear if you 00:28:03.680 --> 00:28:05.500 are motivated by the court of human approval. 00:28:06.839 --> 00:28:09.440 If you measure everything you do in life by what 00:28:09.440 --> 00:28:11.599 other people are going to think, you will not 00:28:11.599 --> 00:28:15.579 do right. And this is really, this is the sin, 00:28:15.660 --> 00:28:17.839 the great sin of politics. What do we always 00:28:17.839 --> 00:28:19.680 accuse politicians of doing? Speaking out of 00:28:19.680 --> 00:28:22.579 both sides of their mouth. They want to please 00:28:22.579 --> 00:28:26.619 everyone. God says, if you please everyone, you 00:28:26.619 --> 00:28:29.039 will do nothing when you try to please everyone. 00:28:29.220 --> 00:28:33.680 You can't do it. So Herod made good on his promise. 00:28:34.500 --> 00:28:37.519 He sent the executioner and the sword into prison. 00:28:38.180 --> 00:28:40.400 And he brought her head in and gave it to the 00:28:40.400 --> 00:28:44.160 young girl who gave it to her mother, the mastermind 00:28:44.160 --> 00:28:49.859 behind the plot. Again, J .C. Ryle. He said, 00:28:49.900 --> 00:28:51.920 truly there was an event here. Now, I love what 00:28:51.920 --> 00:28:54.059 he said. Listen carefully. If there ever was 00:28:54.059 --> 00:28:57.400 one in the world which might make ignorant men 00:28:57.400 --> 00:29:01.160 say, what prophet is there to serve God? I mean, 00:29:01.180 --> 00:29:02.619 if serving God is going to make you lose your 00:29:02.619 --> 00:29:06.359 head sitting in prison, why serve God? But these 00:29:06.359 --> 00:29:08.420 are the sorts of things which show us that there 00:29:08.420 --> 00:29:12.420 will one day be a judgment. God will right all 00:29:12.420 --> 00:29:16.519 wrongs. The God. of the spirits of all flesh 00:29:16.519 --> 00:29:20.660 shall at last set up a judicial inquest and reward 00:29:20.660 --> 00:29:25.559 everyone according to his works. The blood of 00:29:25.559 --> 00:29:28.779 John the Baptist and James the Apostle and Stephen, 00:29:28.940 --> 00:29:31.880 that's the first Christian martyr, and Polycarp, 00:29:31.880 --> 00:29:35.099 disciple of John the Baptist, and Hus, Reformation, 00:29:35.400 --> 00:29:38.519 Ridley and Latimer, the Oxford martyrs there, 00:29:38.660 --> 00:29:43.200 shall yet be required. No one gets away with 00:29:43.200 --> 00:29:46.180 it, friend. It is all written in God's book. 00:29:47.000 --> 00:29:48.960 I should say contemporary, and I don't want to 00:29:48.960 --> 00:29:50.880 weigh in, but you think if O .J. did it or not, 00:29:51.079 --> 00:29:53.359 he's now in eternity. He didn't get away with 00:29:53.359 --> 00:29:57.019 it if he did. It is all written in God's book. 00:29:57.740 --> 00:30:00.759 The earth will reveal her bloodshed and will 00:30:00.759 --> 00:30:05.279 no longer cover her sling. The world shall yet 00:30:05.279 --> 00:30:07.180 know that there is a God who judges the earth. 00:30:08.359 --> 00:30:13.119 What a horrible choice foolish Herod made. He 00:30:13.119 --> 00:30:16.220 had the chance to do right. He could have rectified 00:30:16.220 --> 00:30:19.500 it, but he didn't. And John the Baptist's life 00:30:19.500 --> 00:30:24.119 ends. But his work was now finished. And his 00:30:24.119 --> 00:30:27.099 prayer was now answered. You're like, well, what 00:30:27.099 --> 00:30:29.740 prayer? Do you remember in John 3 .30? John the 00:30:29.740 --> 00:30:33.619 Baptist said, he, Jesus, must increase, but I 00:30:33.619 --> 00:30:38.359 must decrease. Here it is. We read that the disciples 00:30:38.359 --> 00:30:40.720 of John came and they took his body away for 00:30:40.720 --> 00:30:44.220 burial. And then it says they went and told Jesus. 00:30:44.400 --> 00:30:45.839 And that's an important thing. Don't overlook 00:30:45.839 --> 00:30:50.900 that. John's disciples would become Jesus' disciples. 00:30:51.799 --> 00:30:55.619 And that's fitting because John's ministry was 00:30:55.619 --> 00:30:57.799 always supposed to lead people to Jesus and never 00:30:57.799 --> 00:31:01.400 to himself. That's what Matthew's writing about 00:31:01.400 --> 00:31:05.000 here. So as we end this, you say, okay, so what? 00:31:05.059 --> 00:31:08.160 What's the takeaway from all this? I think there 00:31:08.160 --> 00:31:10.740 are a few things. As men, as husbands and fathers, 00:31:11.720 --> 00:31:14.140 We can learn from men like John the Baptist, 00:31:14.220 --> 00:31:16.480 from our spiritual forefathers, to have courage. 00:31:17.339 --> 00:31:20.440 We need men who have steel in their spine, who 00:31:20.440 --> 00:31:23.000 have courage, courage to be bold and proclaim 00:31:23.000 --> 00:31:26.579 the truth without apology, regardless of the 00:31:26.579 --> 00:31:30.160 cost. We have to set an example for our young 00:31:30.160 --> 00:31:32.220 people, for our children, of what following God 00:31:32.220 --> 00:31:40.200 looks like. God help us. Let us not fail in that. 00:31:41.390 --> 00:31:43.750 But you must understand, this is more important. 00:31:44.490 --> 00:31:47.529 Matthew was not primarily writing to tell us 00:31:47.529 --> 00:31:50.609 about John the Baptist. Matthew was not primarily 00:31:50.609 --> 00:31:52.910 writing to give us a moral example to follow. 00:31:54.450 --> 00:31:59.170 Matthew is foreshadowing of what will take place 00:31:59.170 --> 00:32:02.730 and happen to Jesus. Now follow me here and then 00:32:02.730 --> 00:32:05.970 we're done. In Matthew's gospel, the ministry 00:32:05.970 --> 00:32:08.109 of John the Baptist always is foreshadowing Jesus' 00:32:08.329 --> 00:32:11.700 ministry. Remember in Matthew 3, John the Baptist 00:32:11.700 --> 00:32:13.559 comes on the scene, he's preaching the gospel. 00:32:13.740 --> 00:32:15.920 What's he preaching? The kingdom of heaven was 00:32:15.920 --> 00:32:18.920 at hand. That's Matthew 3. Go to Matthew 4, Jesus 00:32:18.920 --> 00:32:21.220 is introduced publicly, and he comes preaching 00:32:21.220 --> 00:32:23.140 the gospel. And what's he preaching? The kingdom 00:32:23.140 --> 00:32:26.279 of heaven was at hand. Preaching the same. In 00:32:26.279 --> 00:32:30.019 Matthew 11, there was opposition to John's ministry. 00:32:30.599 --> 00:32:33.700 In Matthew 12, there was growing opposition to 00:32:33.700 --> 00:32:37.750 Jesus' ministry. In the text today, John's violent 00:32:37.750 --> 00:32:40.630 death is a prefigure of Jesus' violent death 00:32:40.630 --> 00:32:44.829 that is to come. Think about Herod. Herod, ruling 00:32:44.829 --> 00:32:48.009 under Roman authority, was responsible for John's 00:32:48.009 --> 00:32:52.049 death. Pontius Pilate, ruling under Roman authority, 00:32:52.250 --> 00:32:56.059 was responsible for Jesus' death. In Matthew 00:32:56.059 --> 00:32:58.920 14, we read that John was seized and bound. In 00:32:58.920 --> 00:33:01.700 Matthew 27, we read that Jesus was seized and 00:33:01.700 --> 00:33:04.720 bound. In chapter 14, it says Herod feared the 00:33:04.720 --> 00:33:06.900 people. Why? They considered John to be a prophet. 00:33:07.700 --> 00:33:09.759 And in chapter 21, we read that the religious 00:33:09.759 --> 00:33:11.799 leaders, the chief priests and the Pharisees 00:33:11.799 --> 00:33:14.500 feared the people. Why? They considered Jesus 00:33:14.500 --> 00:33:19.579 to be a prophet. Herod was reluctant to execute 00:33:19.579 --> 00:33:27.299 Jesus. Herod was reluctant to execute John. Pilate 00:33:27.299 --> 00:33:31.079 was reluctant to execute Jesus. He didn't want 00:33:31.079 --> 00:33:34.500 to do it. John subsequently died a violent death. 00:33:35.039 --> 00:33:38.920 The Lord Jesus died a violent death. John was 00:33:38.920 --> 00:33:42.079 buried by his disciples. Remember Joseph of Arimathea? 00:33:42.559 --> 00:33:46.680 Jesus was buried by one of his disciples. And 00:33:46.680 --> 00:33:50.940 this is where the differences stop. John was 00:33:50.940 --> 00:33:55.039 rumored to have risen from the grave. The Lord 00:33:55.039 --> 00:33:59.299 Jesus Christ literally rose again from the grave. 00:33:59.799 --> 00:34:04.119 What was rumored of John was the reality of Jesus. 00:34:05.380 --> 00:34:08.800 The death of John the Baptist marks the end of 00:34:08.800 --> 00:34:13.480 that old covenant prophetic error. John the Baptist 00:34:13.480 --> 00:34:17.039 is the last of the Old Testament prophets. What 00:34:17.039 --> 00:34:21.110 was his purpose? To prepare the way for the coming 00:34:21.110 --> 00:34:25.809 of the new covenant. So we see that John in his 00:34:25.809 --> 00:34:29.869 death is pointing forward to the greater suffering 00:34:29.869 --> 00:34:34.670 of Christ. Which would institute the new covenant. 00:34:36.010 --> 00:34:39.969 John's ministry was great. Did many things. It 00:34:39.969 --> 00:34:44.670 exposed darkness. But it was the death and resurrection 00:34:44.670 --> 00:34:48.159 of Jesus Christ that gave the answer. To the 00:34:48.159 --> 00:34:53.500 darkness. John called people to repent. But it 00:34:53.500 --> 00:34:56.940 was Jesus who offered the atoning sacrifice to 00:34:56.940 --> 00:35:01.239 which that repentance pointed. And that, my friend, 00:35:01.340 --> 00:35:04.659 is what we celebrate on this Lord's Day and every 00:35:04.659 --> 00:35:08.880 Lord's Day. Our salvation is through the death, 00:35:08.920 --> 00:35:11.880 burial, and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. 00:35:12.280 --> 00:35:16.980 And in that, we find hope. This is why we gather 00:35:16.980 --> 00:35:20.760 today. We come to commune with Christ as he meets 00:35:20.760 --> 00:35:23.940 with us in his way at the table of the Lord. 00:35:24.440 --> 00:35:27.199 Praise be to God. Would you join me in prayer? 00:35:33.679 --> 00:35:36.159 Father, we would fail if we would make worship 00:35:36.159 --> 00:35:40.239 about anyone or anything other than Christ. Lord, 00:35:40.239 --> 00:35:42.059 we thank you for the life and the ministry of 00:35:42.059 --> 00:35:44.940 John the Baptist. Lord, I thank you for men who 00:35:44.940 --> 00:35:48.590 set examples and who've... Lit paths that we 00:35:48.590 --> 00:35:51.750 can walk that have gone before us and blazed 00:35:51.750 --> 00:35:57.690 a trail. But Lord, we find hope and solace in 00:35:57.690 --> 00:36:01.789 Christ alone. He's your son, the beloved one. 00:36:02.510 --> 00:36:05.050 He's the one in whom truly you are well pleased. 00:36:05.690 --> 00:36:09.110 He's the one in whom we can hide and find our 00:36:09.110 --> 00:36:12.809 source of righteousness. He's the ark that will 00:36:12.809 --> 00:36:16.050 shelter us from the impending storm. Lord, we're 00:36:16.050 --> 00:36:17.989 so very grateful, Lord, for what you have done. 00:36:19.230 --> 00:36:22.570 God, your word is so good, so very beautiful 00:36:22.570 --> 00:36:28.650 and sustaining. Lord, it gives us food for our 00:36:28.650 --> 00:36:32.969 soul, nourishing. Oh, Lord, we thank you for 00:36:32.969 --> 00:36:35.710 the nourishment of the word of God. And now, 00:36:35.730 --> 00:36:40.829 Lord, as we prepare to commune with the risen 00:36:40.829 --> 00:36:44.349 Christ, the living one, that he's present with 00:36:44.349 --> 00:36:50.340 us. Lord, that as we remember the body and the 00:36:50.340 --> 00:36:54.440 blood of Christ that has forever procured our 00:36:54.440 --> 00:36:57.679 salvation. Lord, what more can we say, Lord, 00:36:57.739 --> 00:37:01.400 than thank you, Lord. God, we give you our lives, 00:37:01.440 --> 00:37:06.340 Lord. Help us to honor our king and to live for 00:37:06.340 --> 00:37:09.480 his glory. We ask this in Jesus' name. Amen. 00:37:10.639 --> 00:37:12.539 Deacons, if you would come and prepare the table, 00:37:12.559 --> 00:37:12.739 Lord.