1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:09,020 A gentleman by the name of Robertson McQuilkin give a poem. 2 00:00:09,020 --> 00:00:14,160 I have shared it with you before because I think it expresses something that is very, 3 00:00:14,160 --> 00:00:17,000 very important to all of us. 4 00:00:17,000 --> 00:00:23,080 After serving 22 years as the president of Columbia International University, Dr. McQuilkin 5 00:00:23,080 --> 00:00:28,460 shocked the institution by resigning in 1990. 6 00:00:28,460 --> 00:00:31,200 And why did he resign? 7 00:00:31,200 --> 00:00:36,760 Well the answer is that he resigned to care for his wife Muriel, who had an advanced case 8 00:00:36,760 --> 00:00:40,900 of Alzheimer's disease. 9 00:00:40,900 --> 00:00:48,400 He explained, Muriel has cared for me fully and sacrificially all these years. 10 00:00:48,400 --> 00:00:54,720 If I cared for her for the next 40 years, I would not be out of her debt. 11 00:00:54,720 --> 00:00:59,800 Duty, however, can be grim and stoic, but there's more. 12 00:00:59,800 --> 00:01:02,240 I love Muriel. 13 00:01:02,240 --> 00:01:04,840 I don't have to care for her. 14 00:01:04,840 --> 00:01:06,880 I get to it. 15 00:01:06,880 --> 00:01:11,720 It's a high honor to care for so wonderful a person. 16 00:01:11,720 --> 00:01:16,880 McQuilkin seemed genuinely shocked that so many people would think that his actions were 17 00:01:16,880 --> 00:01:18,580 exceptional. 18 00:01:18,580 --> 00:01:23,200 He said, I took marriage vows, didn't I? 19 00:01:23,200 --> 00:01:30,780 His wife Muriel lived another 13 years after he resigned as the president of that institution. 20 00:01:30,780 --> 00:01:34,720 He cared for her those 13 years. 21 00:01:34,720 --> 00:01:41,200 Some years before she became so ill, while he was still the president of Columbia International 22 00:01:41,200 --> 00:01:49,720 University, he wrote the poem entitled, Lord, Get Me Home Before Dark. 23 00:01:49,720 --> 00:01:52,200 It's sundown, Lord. 24 00:01:52,200 --> 00:01:59,420 The shadows of my life stretch back into the dimness of years long spent. 25 00:01:59,420 --> 00:02:07,400 I fear not death, for the grim foe betrays himself at last, thrusting me forever into 26 00:02:07,400 --> 00:02:08,980 life. 27 00:02:08,980 --> 00:02:13,040 Life with you, unsoiled and free. 28 00:02:13,040 --> 00:02:15,240 But I do fear. 29 00:02:15,240 --> 00:02:24,160 I fear that dark specter may come too soon, or do I mean too late? 30 00:02:24,160 --> 00:02:32,240 That I should end before I finish, or finish but not well. 31 00:02:32,240 --> 00:02:39,440 That I should stain your honor, shame your name, grieve your loving heart. 32 00:02:39,440 --> 00:02:43,640 Few they tell me finish well. 33 00:02:43,640 --> 00:02:49,600 Lord, let me get home before dark. 34 00:02:49,600 --> 00:02:54,080 The darkness of a spirit grown mean and small. 35 00:02:54,080 --> 00:02:56,640 Fruit shriveled on the vine. 36 00:02:56,640 --> 00:02:59,480 Bitter to the taste of my companions. 37 00:02:59,480 --> 00:03:03,640 Burdened to be borne by those brave few who love me still. 38 00:03:03,640 --> 00:03:08,880 No, Lord, let the fruit grow lush and sweet. 39 00:03:08,880 --> 00:03:12,040 A joy to all who taste. 40 00:03:12,040 --> 00:03:14,480 Great sign of God at work. 41 00:03:14,480 --> 00:03:19,000 Stronger, fuller, brighter to the end. 42 00:03:19,000 --> 00:03:24,520 Lord, let me get home before dark. 43 00:03:24,520 --> 00:03:27,960 The darkness of tattered gifts. 44 00:03:27,960 --> 00:03:31,800 Rust locked, half spent or ill spent. 45 00:03:31,800 --> 00:03:38,280 A life that once was used of God, now set aside. 46 00:03:38,280 --> 00:03:40,800 Grief for glory is gone. 47 00:03:40,800 --> 00:03:45,440 Or fretting for a task God never gave. 48 00:03:45,440 --> 00:03:48,040 Mourning in the hollow chambers of memory. 49 00:03:48,040 --> 00:03:53,600 Gazing at the faded banners of victory long gone. 50 00:03:53,600 --> 00:03:58,040 Cannot I run well unto the end? 51 00:03:58,040 --> 00:04:06,440 Lord, get me home before dark. 52 00:04:06,440 --> 00:04:13,100 Our text today tells us of a man whose name was John. 53 00:04:13,100 --> 00:04:18,080 We call him John the Baptist. 54 00:04:18,080 --> 00:04:21,880 We read in today's text about the end of a well-lived life. 55 00:04:21,880 --> 00:04:26,920 John the Baptist was a close relative of Jesus, their mothers being related. 56 00:04:26,920 --> 00:04:33,360 One, Elizabeth, being much older than the other, Mary. 57 00:04:33,360 --> 00:04:41,520 Like Jesus, John's conception was announced by the angel Gabriel. 58 00:04:41,520 --> 00:04:48,560 His name was divinely assigned by the angel, and his character and ministry were prophesied 59 00:04:48,560 --> 00:04:50,220 by this heavenly messenger. 60 00:04:50,220 --> 00:04:52,920 Read about it in Luke chapter 1. 61 00:04:52,920 --> 00:04:59,440 It says there about John that he will be a joy and delight to you, Zechariah and Elizabeth, 62 00:04:59,440 --> 00:05:02,160 his parents. 63 00:05:02,160 --> 00:05:08,560 It says there many will rejoice because of his birth. 64 00:05:08,560 --> 00:05:10,520 He will be great in the sight of the Lord. 65 00:05:10,520 --> 00:05:16,660 He is never to take wine or other fermented drink, meaning that he is to be set apart 66 00:05:16,660 --> 00:05:25,120 as a Nazarite, a special classification of person that the Old Testament established. 67 00:05:25,120 --> 00:05:30,400 He will be filled with the Holy Spirit even from birth, says the angel. 68 00:05:30,400 --> 00:05:34,520 He will bring back to the Lord many of the people of Israel. 69 00:05:34,520 --> 00:05:41,120 He will go before the Lord in the spirit and power of Elijah to make ready a people prepared 70 00:05:41,120 --> 00:05:44,720 for the Lord. 71 00:05:44,720 --> 00:05:51,440 Luke then records the birth of this baby John, as well as his circumcision on the eighth 72 00:05:51,440 --> 00:05:56,520 day, just as in the case with Jesus. 73 00:05:56,520 --> 00:06:02,560 John's father, Zechariah, uttered a divinely inspired poetic prophecy, which Luke records 74 00:06:02,560 --> 00:06:09,200 just as he recorded the prophecy of Mary regarding Jesus. 75 00:06:09,200 --> 00:06:14,640 Both prophecies outline in detail how their sons would fit into the promises of God to 76 00:06:14,640 --> 00:06:21,380 Israel and what purpose God had for their sons. 77 00:06:21,380 --> 00:06:27,520 Then Luke, interestingly, records a brief summation of the growing up years of both 78 00:06:27,520 --> 00:06:32,160 John and Jesus. 79 00:06:32,160 --> 00:06:38,720 Then nothing else is said about them until they are into their ministry. 80 00:06:38,720 --> 00:06:43,960 About John it says, and the child grew and became strong in spirit, and he lived in the 81 00:06:43,960 --> 00:06:49,960 desert until he appeared publicly to Israel. 82 00:06:49,960 --> 00:06:54,040 The only other glimpse we have of Jesus is that when he was twelve years old he went 83 00:06:54,040 --> 00:06:57,120 to the temple with his parents. 84 00:06:57,120 --> 00:07:02,080 Other than that, both of these men were in their early thirties, about thirty years of 85 00:07:02,080 --> 00:07:08,880 age, before they began to be recorded again by the gospels. 86 00:07:08,880 --> 00:07:15,400 John you see entered the world with a great deal of potential and promise. 87 00:07:15,400 --> 00:07:17,680 Doesn't every baby arrive that way? 88 00:07:17,680 --> 00:07:24,360 Last Sunday we rejoiced with six couples who were dedicating babies here on the platform, 89 00:07:24,360 --> 00:07:25,360 dedicating them to God. 90 00:07:25,360 --> 00:07:30,880 You look at those babies and you just think of all of the wonderful potential that God 91 00:07:30,880 --> 00:07:33,680 has placed in that little one. 92 00:07:33,680 --> 00:07:37,160 Every baby arrives with promise. 93 00:07:37,160 --> 00:07:41,840 The promise of one's life is good. 94 00:07:41,840 --> 00:07:50,520 But finishing well, finishing well, is even better. 95 00:07:50,520 --> 00:07:52,360 Why do I put it this way? 96 00:07:52,360 --> 00:08:01,880 Well it's because so much can happen between the start and the finish to derail one's life 97 00:08:01,880 --> 00:08:04,560 potential. 98 00:08:04,560 --> 00:08:12,040 The lives of two men intersect in the text we look at today in Luke, excuse me, in Mark 99 00:08:12,040 --> 00:08:15,680 chapter six. 100 00:08:15,680 --> 00:08:22,280 One of them, Herod, teaches tragic lessons to us. 101 00:08:22,280 --> 00:08:28,840 The other, John, leaves a lasting example for us to follow. 102 00:08:28,840 --> 00:08:34,760 I want us to look first today at the lessons from Herod. 103 00:08:34,760 --> 00:08:43,320 This King Herod that we see mentioned in Mark 6, 14 is the son of Herod the Great, the one 104 00:08:43,320 --> 00:08:50,040 who was the king of the Jews when Jesus was born in Bethlehem. 105 00:08:50,040 --> 00:08:51,040 This is his son. 106 00:08:51,040 --> 00:08:55,040 He was known by his name Antipas. 107 00:08:55,040 --> 00:08:58,420 Herod was the family name. 108 00:08:58,420 --> 00:09:08,960 He reigned from 4 BC when his father died until 39 AD when he was deposed by Caligula, 109 00:09:08,960 --> 00:09:14,160 the Roman Emperor, because Herod was caught in treachery against Rome. 110 00:09:14,160 --> 00:09:21,280 He ultimately spent his last years in exile in Spain and in France. 111 00:09:21,280 --> 00:09:29,800 But at this time, in the mid-20s AD, he is very much a leader in the area of Galilee. 112 00:09:29,800 --> 00:09:33,960 He and his three brothers actually shared their father's kingdom. 113 00:09:33,960 --> 00:09:36,000 It was divided up four ways. 114 00:09:36,000 --> 00:09:41,260 So technically he was not a king, although popularly he was called that, and Luke tells 115 00:09:41,260 --> 00:09:43,620 us as much. 116 00:09:43,620 --> 00:09:51,320 But technically he was a tetrarch, which means that he ruled over one-fourth of his father's 117 00:09:51,320 --> 00:09:53,600 kingdom, a tetrarch. 118 00:09:53,600 --> 00:10:00,680 And his region, which he inherited, was the area of Galilee and also Perea, which was 119 00:10:00,680 --> 00:10:04,180 on the east side of the Jordan River. 120 00:10:04,180 --> 00:10:09,860 He made his headquarters the city of Tiberias. 121 00:10:09,860 --> 00:10:17,760 He was the Herod before whom Jesus would eventually stand in a mock trial. 122 00:10:17,760 --> 00:10:21,720 That he in fact is a historical character, that he lived when he did, that his title 123 00:10:21,720 --> 00:10:27,800 was what it was, as the Bible records, is demonstrated by a coin that has been found 124 00:10:27,800 --> 00:10:34,520 in the city of Tiberias, struck in 33 AD, giving us that kind of information about this 125 00:10:34,520 --> 00:10:36,800 man Herod. 126 00:10:36,800 --> 00:10:41,960 He was a wily politician who was without principle. 127 00:10:41,960 --> 00:10:46,800 Unfortunately he would fit in rather well with many of the politicians today in our 128 00:10:46,800 --> 00:10:48,240 world. 129 00:10:48,240 --> 00:10:54,920 That's why Jesus called him Herod that fox. 130 00:10:54,920 --> 00:10:57,420 Jesus called him a fox. 131 00:10:57,420 --> 00:11:04,480 He was tricky and smart and politically shrewd. 132 00:11:04,480 --> 00:11:11,200 There are three tragic lessons that we learn from this foolish man Herod. 133 00:11:11,200 --> 00:11:16,320 Who was, it seems, intrigued by the truth but ultimately turned away from it. 134 00:11:16,320 --> 00:11:21,840 The first lesson is this, that a man's ignorance blinds him. 135 00:11:21,840 --> 00:11:24,640 We pick up the reading in verse 14. 136 00:11:24,640 --> 00:11:31,600 King Herod heard about this, for Jesus' name had become well known. 137 00:11:31,600 --> 00:11:36,960 Some were saying, John the Baptist has been raised from the dead, and that is why miraculous 138 00:11:36,960 --> 00:11:39,960 powers are at work in him. 139 00:11:39,960 --> 00:11:43,880 Others said, he is Elijah. 140 00:11:43,880 --> 00:11:51,600 And still others claimed, he's a prophet, like one of the prophets of long ago. 141 00:11:51,600 --> 00:12:01,440 But when Herod heard this, he said, John, the man I beheaded has been raised from the 142 00:12:01,440 --> 00:12:02,440 dead. 143 00:12:02,440 --> 00:12:09,960 You see, the news about Jesus' power in his ministry was becoming more widely known in 144 00:12:09,960 --> 00:12:13,800 the area of Galilee and Perea. 145 00:12:13,800 --> 00:12:18,080 Stories were circulating in this storytelling culture. 146 00:12:18,080 --> 00:12:24,360 And finally the stories came to the court of this man that we call King Herod. 147 00:12:24,360 --> 00:12:31,000 This mysterious rabbi from Nazareth who lives down the coast here abetted from Tiberias 148 00:12:31,000 --> 00:12:38,240 in Capernaum, this rabbi is the topic of conversation and rumor in Herod's realm. 149 00:12:38,240 --> 00:12:42,200 And so the question naturally arises, well who is this person? 150 00:12:42,200 --> 00:12:49,360 And we see several of the answers that were given to Herod in his court. 151 00:12:49,360 --> 00:12:51,920 Herod draws his own conclusion. 152 00:12:51,920 --> 00:12:59,660 He says, this must be John the Baptist, the one I beheaded. 153 00:12:59,660 --> 00:13:05,240 You see, Herod is a very superstitious pagan man. 154 00:13:05,240 --> 00:13:08,920 And he is laden with guilt. 155 00:13:08,920 --> 00:13:14,280 The guilt that he had killed, a man that he knew to be innocent. 156 00:13:14,280 --> 00:13:16,600 He had beheaded John. 157 00:13:16,600 --> 00:13:23,500 And now in his ignorance and his superstition, he believes that John has in fact come back 158 00:13:23,500 --> 00:13:28,360 from the dead to plague him. 159 00:13:28,360 --> 00:13:35,160 Now if there was anyone in all of Galilee who could have known the truth about Jesus, 160 00:13:35,160 --> 00:13:36,560 it was surely Herod. 161 00:13:36,560 --> 00:13:39,180 He was after all the Tetrarch. 162 00:13:39,180 --> 00:13:42,800 He was the top dog in that region. 163 00:13:42,800 --> 00:13:49,280 But instead he is superstitious and laden with guilt. 164 00:13:49,280 --> 00:13:55,480 He could find out whatever he wanted to know, but he's in the dark spiritually and he draws 165 00:13:55,480 --> 00:13:58,160 a false conclusion. 166 00:13:58,160 --> 00:14:00,120 He is oblivious. 167 00:14:00,120 --> 00:14:09,640 Sadly, tragically, totally blind and oblivious to what is going on in his very realm in the 168 00:14:09,640 --> 00:14:22,200 most momentous time in all of history, when God himself was living among us as a man. 169 00:14:22,200 --> 00:14:31,040 And Herod is ignorant about this, and his ignorance blinds his soul. 170 00:14:31,040 --> 00:14:40,600 No one is more ignorant than a man who resolutely refuses to see. 171 00:14:40,600 --> 00:14:45,960 That is the case with Herod, and that is the case actually with all sinners. 172 00:14:45,960 --> 00:14:50,320 Indeed, all of us in our natural state. 173 00:14:50,320 --> 00:14:56,480 Paul says in Ephesians chapter 4, I tell you, and I insist in the Lord on this, that you 174 00:14:56,480 --> 00:15:02,320 must no longer live as the Gentiles do in the futility of their thinking. 175 00:15:02,320 --> 00:15:06,040 He says you've come to faith in Jesus Christ. 176 00:15:06,040 --> 00:15:10,840 Don't think and act like the people who are pagans anymore. 177 00:15:10,840 --> 00:15:17,040 He says they are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because 178 00:15:17,040 --> 00:15:25,520 of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts. 179 00:15:25,520 --> 00:15:28,680 You see, the issue is not one of not being able to know. 180 00:15:28,680 --> 00:15:34,840 The issue is that one does not wish to know. 181 00:15:34,840 --> 00:15:40,720 That is the folly of one calling himself an agnostic. 182 00:15:40,720 --> 00:15:44,520 There may be more honor in hell for an atheist than for an agnostic. 183 00:15:44,520 --> 00:15:46,840 At least an atheist says, I don't believe. 184 00:15:46,840 --> 00:15:48,760 He's honest about that. 185 00:15:48,760 --> 00:15:51,200 An agnostic says you can't know. 186 00:15:51,200 --> 00:15:56,400 That's a lie because you can know. 187 00:15:56,400 --> 00:16:00,800 But it's the hardening of the human heart that causes the mind to be closed and the 188 00:16:00,800 --> 00:16:03,560 understanding to be darkened. 189 00:16:03,560 --> 00:16:13,120 A man's ignorance blinds him to what is taking place around him. 190 00:16:13,120 --> 00:16:19,520 Herod gives us that sad lesson, and his condition reflects the reality of all people outside 191 00:16:19,520 --> 00:16:24,520 of Jesus Christ. 192 00:16:24,520 --> 00:16:29,040 There's a second lesson I see in Herod, and that is that a man's arrogance traps him. 193 00:16:29,040 --> 00:16:34,520 Let's begin reading in verse 17. 194 00:16:34,520 --> 00:16:42,000 Mark is now going to backfill the story for us about the death of John. 195 00:16:42,000 --> 00:16:48,360 He says, For Herod himself had given orders to have John arrested, and he had him bound 196 00:16:48,360 --> 00:16:50,960 and put in prison. 197 00:16:50,960 --> 00:17:01,720 He did this because of Herodias, his brother Philip's wife, whom he had married. 198 00:17:01,720 --> 00:17:09,680 For John had been saying to Herod, It is not lawful for you to have your brother's wife. 199 00:17:09,680 --> 00:17:16,440 So Herodias nursed a grudge against John and wanted to kill him. 200 00:17:16,440 --> 00:17:23,760 She was ticked off at John. 201 00:17:23,760 --> 00:17:31,120 It goes on to say, But she was not able to kill him, because Herod feared John and protected 202 00:17:31,120 --> 00:17:34,320 him, knowing him to be a righteous and holy man. 203 00:17:34,320 --> 00:17:36,740 Notice that. 204 00:17:36,740 --> 00:17:41,720 Herod knew that John was a righteous man and a holy man. 205 00:17:41,720 --> 00:17:46,720 That's why he's so overcome with guilt in his superstition, and he thinks John has come 206 00:17:46,720 --> 00:17:51,740 back to haunt him and to plague him. 207 00:17:51,740 --> 00:18:00,400 When Herod heard John, he was greatly puzzled, yet he liked to listen to him. 208 00:18:00,400 --> 00:18:06,720 After the opportune time came, on his birthday, Herod gave a banquet for his high officials 209 00:18:06,720 --> 00:18:10,640 and military commanders and the leading men of Galilee. 210 00:18:10,640 --> 00:18:17,560 When the daughter of Herodias came in and danced, she pleased Herod and his dinner guests. 211 00:18:17,560 --> 00:18:21,180 Her name was Salome. 212 00:18:21,180 --> 00:18:25,360 The king said to the girl, Ask me for anything you want, and I'll give it to you. 213 00:18:25,360 --> 00:18:30,440 She promised her with an oath, Whatever you ask, I will give you up to half my kingdom. 214 00:18:30,440 --> 00:18:32,120 Now, he didn't literally mean that. 215 00:18:32,120 --> 00:18:39,120 That was an expression meaning, Anything that's in my power to give you, I will give to you. 216 00:18:39,120 --> 00:18:45,040 She went out and said to her mother, Herodias, What shall I ask for? 217 00:18:45,040 --> 00:18:51,140 She answered, The head of John the Baptist. 218 00:18:51,140 --> 00:18:54,440 At once the girl hurried into the king with the request. 219 00:18:54,440 --> 00:19:02,200 I want you to give me right now the head of John the Baptist on a platter. 220 00:19:02,200 --> 00:19:07,480 The king was greatly distressed. 221 00:19:07,480 --> 00:19:12,440 A man's arrogance traps him in the verses that we read. 222 00:19:12,440 --> 00:19:18,640 Herod had ordered John to be arrested in order to please his illegitimate wife. 223 00:19:18,640 --> 00:19:23,800 In the course of the arrest, he conversed with John. 224 00:19:23,800 --> 00:19:27,720 He would have him brought from the cell, apparently, to his courtroom, or maybe he went to the 225 00:19:27,720 --> 00:19:32,320 cell, but the two of them got into conversations. 226 00:19:32,320 --> 00:19:36,640 John intrigued Herod. 227 00:19:36,640 --> 00:19:40,560 To Herod, John was a novelty. 228 00:19:40,560 --> 00:19:43,340 He found him interesting. 229 00:19:43,340 --> 00:19:47,240 He was unusual. 230 00:19:47,240 --> 00:19:52,080 They would converse together. 231 00:19:52,080 --> 00:19:58,560 But Herodias this whole time is plotting, you see, to find an opportunity to kill John 232 00:19:58,560 --> 00:20:06,360 because he has humiliated her, showing that in fact she is an adulteress, as is Herod. 233 00:20:06,360 --> 00:20:14,520 She was married to his brother, Herod Philip I, who was also one of the heirs of Herod 234 00:20:14,520 --> 00:20:17,040 the Great. 235 00:20:17,040 --> 00:20:21,760 The story in Josephus is that he went to visit his brother, and while he was there, he wooed 236 00:20:21,760 --> 00:20:30,880 away his brother's wife and took her back to Tiberias and married her there. 237 00:20:30,880 --> 00:20:38,800 She brought with her her daughter, Salome. 238 00:20:38,800 --> 00:20:45,920 After the dance, which sensually aroused and pleased him, he says, I'll give you whatever 239 00:20:45,920 --> 00:20:46,920 you want. 240 00:20:46,920 --> 00:20:52,880 She and her mother come with the request, we want the head of John the Baptist. 241 00:20:52,880 --> 00:20:58,480 Ah, now it's time for revenge. 242 00:20:58,480 --> 00:21:04,280 And Herod, because he is before guests at a party that he's throwing, is trapped by 243 00:21:04,280 --> 00:21:08,080 his own arrogance at this point. 244 00:21:08,080 --> 00:21:12,680 He knows that John is innocent. 245 00:21:12,680 --> 00:21:23,560 He doesn't really want to kill this man, but he must to save face. 246 00:21:23,560 --> 00:21:28,480 Arrogance traps you and me too. 247 00:21:28,480 --> 00:21:35,800 Pride can get us into situations where we are embarrassed to back out, where we feel 248 00:21:35,800 --> 00:21:44,520 that if we don't do what we said we would do, even though it's wrong, we will lose face 249 00:21:44,520 --> 00:21:49,040 in the eyes of others, and we get trapped. 250 00:21:49,040 --> 00:21:52,720 That's how pride works. 251 00:21:52,720 --> 00:21:57,960 That brings us to a third lesson, tragic lesson that we see from Herod, and that is that a 252 00:21:57,960 --> 00:22:03,640 man's obstinateness damns him. 253 00:22:03,640 --> 00:22:08,680 We pick up the reading in verse 26 where it says, because of his oaths and his dinner 254 00:22:08,680 --> 00:22:16,000 guests, Herod did not want to refuse her, so he immediately sent an executioner with 255 00:22:16,000 --> 00:22:19,300 orders to bring John's head. 256 00:22:19,300 --> 00:22:29,440 The man went, beheaded John in the prison, and brought back his head on a platter. 257 00:22:29,440 --> 00:22:36,840 He presented it to the girl, and she gave it to her mother. 258 00:22:36,840 --> 00:22:46,680 On hearing of this, John's disciples came and took his body and laid it in a tomb. 259 00:22:46,680 --> 00:22:52,000 Refusing to humble himself, Herod stubbornly went against his own conscience and beheaded 260 00:22:52,000 --> 00:22:53,860 John. 261 00:22:53,860 --> 00:22:58,480 This according to tradition happened at his palace at Macharis. 262 00:22:58,480 --> 00:23:02,920 I think we have a picture of that on the slides if we could put that up on the screen for 263 00:23:02,920 --> 00:23:04,720 a moment. 264 00:23:04,720 --> 00:23:09,960 Now it is just a barren, flattened mountaintop, but at one time, 2,000 years ago, on the top 265 00:23:09,960 --> 00:23:14,040 of that mountain, there was a castle, a fortress. 266 00:23:14,040 --> 00:23:22,420 It had been originally built in the time of the Maccabeans, shortly after that, in order 267 00:23:22,420 --> 00:23:25,320 to defend that surrounding area. 268 00:23:25,320 --> 00:23:31,200 But then Herod the Great, Antipas' father, strengthened the castle. 269 00:23:31,200 --> 00:23:38,120 And he actually had built there walls and towers that reached up as high as 80 feet 270 00:23:38,120 --> 00:23:39,880 on the corners. 271 00:23:39,880 --> 00:23:46,140 It became one of his refuges where he could flee in case his life was threatened. 272 00:23:46,140 --> 00:23:51,360 And now his son has inherited this place, magnificent castle that was there. 273 00:23:51,360 --> 00:23:55,920 And you may be able to see the holes in the side that go along, that are right next to 274 00:23:55,920 --> 00:23:58,040 the pathway up the side of the mountain. 275 00:23:58,040 --> 00:24:02,000 Those were cisterns, possibly used as cells. 276 00:24:02,000 --> 00:24:06,760 And it could be that it was in one of those cells that you see there that John the Baptist 277 00:24:06,760 --> 00:24:10,520 was imprisoned and where he was beheaded. 278 00:24:10,520 --> 00:24:15,360 Others say no, it was in a dungeon below the castle itself. 279 00:24:15,360 --> 00:24:20,760 But whatever, that's exactly where this is said to have happened. 280 00:24:20,760 --> 00:24:29,520 You see, Herod Antipas brought eternal damnation and notoriety to himself by his intractable 281 00:24:29,520 --> 00:24:30,880 will. 282 00:24:30,880 --> 00:24:35,400 And he murdered an innocent man. 283 00:24:35,400 --> 00:24:41,040 Besides his many other sins for which he would have been condemned, we see here that his 284 00:24:41,040 --> 00:24:50,600 obstinate stubborn heart damns him as the killer of the last prophet of the Jews, whose 285 00:24:50,600 --> 00:24:52,880 name was John. 286 00:24:52,880 --> 00:25:02,200 My friend, these are tragic lessons, that ignorance blinds a person, that arrogance 287 00:25:02,200 --> 00:25:10,940 traps us, that stubborn obstinateness in our hearts damns us. 288 00:25:10,940 --> 00:25:17,680 But so it is, and Herod lays it out for us in the way that he lived. 289 00:25:17,680 --> 00:25:19,440 But so much for Herod. 290 00:25:19,440 --> 00:25:23,440 Let's move on to John's happier example. 291 00:25:23,440 --> 00:25:29,600 John the Apostle introduces John the Baptist with very simple words in the first chapter 292 00:25:29,600 --> 00:25:32,000 of his gospel. 293 00:25:32,000 --> 00:25:40,120 He says, there was a man sent from God whose name was John. 294 00:25:40,120 --> 00:25:42,400 You see, John was a man like you and me. 295 00:25:42,400 --> 00:25:46,160 He was not without sin himself. 296 00:25:46,160 --> 00:25:49,600 But John proved to be a faithful man. 297 00:25:49,600 --> 00:25:53,120 He was a man sent from God. 298 00:25:53,120 --> 00:25:58,440 John is one of the often unnoticed heroes of the Bible. 299 00:25:58,440 --> 00:26:03,280 I want you to look at the example that John gives to us and learn from his example. 300 00:26:03,280 --> 00:26:08,880 We're going to turn to some other texts regarding John because that's where we learn about him. 301 00:26:08,880 --> 00:26:12,360 John chapter 1 is where we start. 302 00:26:12,360 --> 00:26:14,680 The Gospel of John, the first chapter. 303 00:26:14,680 --> 00:26:20,440 And the first thing I want you to notice about John's example is that he understood his life's 304 00:26:20,440 --> 00:26:23,720 purpose. 305 00:26:23,720 --> 00:26:29,440 In John chapter 1, I begin reading in verse 19 where it says, now this was John's testimony 306 00:26:29,440 --> 00:26:36,040 when the Jews of Jerusalem sent priests and Levites to ask him who he was. 307 00:26:36,040 --> 00:26:40,320 He did not fail to confess, but confessed freely, I am not. 308 00:26:40,320 --> 00:26:44,640 I am not the Christ. 309 00:26:44,640 --> 00:26:47,520 They asked him, then who are you? 310 00:26:47,520 --> 00:26:48,520 Are you Elijah? 311 00:26:48,520 --> 00:26:49,520 I'm not. 312 00:26:49,520 --> 00:26:50,520 The prophet? 313 00:26:50,520 --> 00:26:51,520 No. 314 00:26:51,520 --> 00:26:54,560 Finally, they said, who are you? 315 00:26:54,560 --> 00:26:57,640 Give us an answer to take back to those who sent us. 316 00:26:57,640 --> 00:26:59,640 What do you say about yourself? 317 00:26:59,640 --> 00:27:07,800 John replied in the words of Isaiah the prophet, verse 23, I am the voice of one calling in 318 00:27:07,800 --> 00:27:15,080 the desert, make straight the way for the Lord. 319 00:27:15,080 --> 00:27:23,300 John knew whose he was and who he was. 320 00:27:23,300 --> 00:27:29,320 He says, I am the one that was prophesied by Isaiah 700 years ago, and my job is to 321 00:27:29,320 --> 00:27:34,120 prepare the hearts of the people of Israel for the coming of the Lord. 322 00:27:34,120 --> 00:27:37,280 That's what he's saying. 323 00:27:37,280 --> 00:27:39,840 He understood his life's purpose. 324 00:27:39,840 --> 00:27:42,840 What about you? 325 00:27:42,840 --> 00:27:43,840 Who are you? 326 00:27:43,840 --> 00:27:47,720 And why are you here? 327 00:27:47,720 --> 00:27:52,120 How would you answer that question? 328 00:27:52,120 --> 00:27:56,560 I want to say to you that we ought to be able to answer it in some words that are very similar 329 00:27:56,560 --> 00:27:58,800 to John. 330 00:27:58,800 --> 00:28:04,400 Because you see, what we learn from him is that our job too is to prepare the way of 331 00:28:04,400 --> 00:28:07,240 the Lord. 332 00:28:07,240 --> 00:28:16,560 Your role in mine is to go before the Lord, to make the road straight and smooth into 333 00:28:16,560 --> 00:28:20,440 the lives of other people. 334 00:28:20,440 --> 00:28:26,520 As he moves us about in our world and we come into contact with this person and that person, 335 00:28:26,520 --> 00:28:31,440 our role, our life's purpose is very similar to John. 336 00:28:31,440 --> 00:28:35,400 We are to prepare the way of the Lord. 337 00:28:35,400 --> 00:28:41,320 We are to correct their misperceptions about Jesus. 338 00:28:41,320 --> 00:28:46,560 We are to give to them the truth about him. 339 00:28:46,560 --> 00:28:52,760 We are to move them along on that scale of evangelism that we've talked about so many 340 00:28:52,760 --> 00:28:53,760 times. 341 00:28:53,760 --> 00:29:02,960 We are to build a bridge into their lives and prepare their hearts to hear the word 342 00:29:02,960 --> 00:29:06,680 of the Lord. 343 00:29:06,680 --> 00:29:10,440 So if someone were to ask you today, why are you here? 344 00:29:10,440 --> 00:29:12,000 What is your life's purpose? 345 00:29:12,000 --> 00:29:17,920 I would hope that you too would be able to say, as did John, I'm here to prepare the 346 00:29:17,920 --> 00:29:25,120 way of the Lord. 347 00:29:25,120 --> 00:29:30,600 Notice also from John that he accepted his diminishing role. 348 00:29:30,600 --> 00:29:35,920 Turn over with me to John chapter 3 in verse 22. 349 00:29:35,920 --> 00:29:41,920 It says, after this, Jesus and his disciples went out into the Judean countryside where 350 00:29:41,920 --> 00:29:46,360 he spent some time with them and baptized. 351 00:29:46,360 --> 00:29:54,120 Now John also was baptizing at Anon near Salim because there was plenty of water and people 352 00:29:54,120 --> 00:29:57,160 were constantly coming to be baptized. 353 00:29:57,160 --> 00:30:03,400 See John's doing his thing here and Jesus has now started engaging in his own ministry 354 00:30:03,400 --> 00:30:08,120 and John says this was before John was put in prison. 355 00:30:08,120 --> 00:30:10,960 We've just read about that. 356 00:30:10,960 --> 00:30:17,120 And then this argument developed between John's disciples and a certain Jew over matters of 357 00:30:17,120 --> 00:30:22,200 cleansing and they came to John and they talk about this one who's on the other side of 358 00:30:22,200 --> 00:30:27,840 the Jordan who's also baptizing. 359 00:30:27,840 --> 00:30:35,020 And John then begins to tell them that he knows that his time is coming to an end. 360 00:30:35,020 --> 00:30:38,240 That this one who's coming is greater than he. 361 00:30:38,240 --> 00:30:44,560 And he says in verse 30, he, Jesus, must become greater. 362 00:30:44,560 --> 00:30:50,160 I must become less. 363 00:30:50,160 --> 00:30:52,840 I'm newest place. 364 00:30:52,840 --> 00:30:59,280 And we learn from his example here that he pointed to Jesus, he did his job, and then 365 00:30:59,280 --> 00:31:10,560 he got out of the way gladly. 366 00:31:10,560 --> 00:31:18,040 Some servants of the Lord get so wrapped up and excited about pointing other to Jesus 367 00:31:18,040 --> 00:31:24,840 that they fail to get themselves out of the way. 368 00:31:24,840 --> 00:31:29,800 There's something about the adrenaline, about the excitement, there's something about the 369 00:31:29,800 --> 00:31:45,960 ego of making disciples, of sharing the truth and pointing people to Jesus that can trap 370 00:31:45,960 --> 00:31:58,000 a person so that he begins to make disciples after himself instead of Jesus. 371 00:31:58,000 --> 00:32:05,600 I submit to you that this happens with far too many televangelists, for example. 372 00:32:05,600 --> 00:32:13,440 Not just them, but we see a marvelous example in them. 373 00:32:13,440 --> 00:32:18,040 When in fact they intended to point people to Jesus, but something happens along the 374 00:32:18,040 --> 00:32:21,400 way in this journey. 375 00:32:21,400 --> 00:32:28,560 And suddenly their ministry explodes and it all becomes bigger than themselves and they're 376 00:32:28,560 --> 00:32:35,280 trying to live up to their own press releases and they cannot get out of the way. 377 00:32:35,280 --> 00:32:46,000 And the problem is they then begin to go askew because they cannot move out of the way and 378 00:32:46,000 --> 00:32:50,800 let Jesus come onto the stage. 379 00:32:50,800 --> 00:32:57,520 John gives you and me a great example here in humility. 380 00:32:57,520 --> 00:33:04,640 We have the most wonderful privilege in all of the world to point people to Jesus Christ. 381 00:33:04,640 --> 00:33:15,040 Once we have done that, our job is to be sure that they follow him and not us. 382 00:33:15,040 --> 00:33:20,480 He must increase and we must decrease. 383 00:33:20,480 --> 00:33:24,360 Let me say something else about John. 384 00:33:24,360 --> 00:33:29,520 There was a time when John was in prison and doubts began to come to his mind. 385 00:33:29,520 --> 00:33:38,320 Undoubtedly the enemy was working him over and he thought, have I misjudged? 386 00:33:38,320 --> 00:33:40,240 I'm not certain anymore of what's going on. 387 00:33:40,240 --> 00:33:46,280 You can read about this in Luke chapter 7 if you want to in the middle of the chapter. 388 00:33:46,280 --> 00:33:49,880 And he began to have nagging doubts. 389 00:33:49,880 --> 00:33:53,200 And what we see John do is an example for you and me. 390 00:33:53,200 --> 00:33:55,840 John resolves his nagging doubts. 391 00:33:55,840 --> 00:34:01,560 He sends a delegation to Jesus and he just wants to confirm. 392 00:34:01,560 --> 00:34:05,040 He says, go and ask him, are you the one? 393 00:34:05,040 --> 00:34:08,000 Are you the one? 394 00:34:08,000 --> 00:34:14,760 Lord, please tell me you're the one. 395 00:34:14,760 --> 00:34:22,160 And Jesus said, look, you go back and tell John in prison what you're seeing and what 396 00:34:22,160 --> 00:34:27,320 you're hearing, that will reassure him. 397 00:34:27,320 --> 00:34:30,880 He'll know. 398 00:34:30,880 --> 00:34:35,960 Along the journey that you and I have with Jesus, it's common to have times of questions 399 00:34:35,960 --> 00:34:36,960 and doubts. 400 00:34:36,960 --> 00:34:39,680 Am I on the right course? 401 00:34:39,680 --> 00:34:46,860 Lord, I don't really understand what's going on around me. 402 00:34:46,860 --> 00:34:52,120 This isn't what I expected. 403 00:34:52,120 --> 00:34:56,760 I'm surprised by what's come into my life. 404 00:34:56,760 --> 00:34:58,640 And it may be something that's no fault of yours. 405 00:34:58,640 --> 00:35:01,320 It may be because of someone else's choice. 406 00:35:01,320 --> 00:35:05,960 Or it may be that some disease has come to you, some physical affliction. 407 00:35:05,960 --> 00:35:12,000 And you say, what's going on? 408 00:35:12,000 --> 00:35:14,880 John gives you a marvelous example here. 409 00:35:14,880 --> 00:35:17,680 Settle your doubts. 410 00:35:17,680 --> 00:35:20,500 Face your discouragements. 411 00:35:20,500 --> 00:35:23,500 Take them to the Lord. 412 00:35:23,500 --> 00:35:26,640 He can satisfy your heart. 413 00:35:26,640 --> 00:35:32,580 There's no question, there is no doubt that he is unable to resolve in your mind and heart. 414 00:35:32,580 --> 00:35:37,440 Do not allow it to grow to unbelief. 415 00:35:37,440 --> 00:35:41,620 It's okay to have questions. 416 00:35:41,620 --> 00:35:48,480 But you must get them settled or they will eat away at you. 417 00:35:48,480 --> 00:35:53,600 Take your concerns, take your questions, take your surprises, take your disappointments 418 00:35:53,600 --> 00:35:56,720 to the Lord. 419 00:35:56,720 --> 00:36:01,820 And let him resolve them in your mind and heart. 420 00:36:01,820 --> 00:36:05,760 One final thing I want to talk about before I close. 421 00:36:05,760 --> 00:36:13,040 That we see in John's life, and that is that John offered his final sacrifice. 422 00:36:13,040 --> 00:36:18,120 This man had sacrificed all the years of his life. 423 00:36:18,120 --> 00:36:20,440 He was a Nazarite. 424 00:36:20,440 --> 00:36:24,640 It was a sparse existence. 425 00:36:24,640 --> 00:36:28,400 He lived alone. 426 00:36:28,400 --> 00:36:31,800 He was in the desert. 427 00:36:31,800 --> 00:36:37,320 Many came to hear him, but there were those who hated John. 428 00:36:37,320 --> 00:36:40,940 He was fearless and courageous. 429 00:36:40,940 --> 00:36:50,320 And now he is in prison, and the steps of a guard approach the cell where he is. 430 00:36:50,320 --> 00:36:56,560 The stone is rolled back or the door is opened, whatever the situation was, and a man with 431 00:36:56,560 --> 00:36:59,840 a sword comes into the cell. 432 00:36:59,840 --> 00:37:08,080 And John understands exactly what this is about. 433 00:37:08,080 --> 00:37:18,560 And in a matter of a few seconds he has knelt and the blade has found its mark and John's 434 00:37:18,560 --> 00:37:22,360 head rolls to the floor. 435 00:37:22,360 --> 00:37:25,280 He offers his final sacrifice. 436 00:37:25,280 --> 00:37:33,300 What I want to say to you from this is that you and I need to give ourselves without fear 437 00:37:33,300 --> 00:37:37,600 to God's purpose for us. 438 00:37:37,600 --> 00:37:40,560 See your whole life as a living sacrifice. 439 00:37:40,560 --> 00:37:46,320 Live each day as if it were your last. 440 00:37:46,320 --> 00:37:52,400 Be prepared every day to go home. 441 00:37:52,400 --> 00:37:58,800 And then when that time comes, and for some of us there won't be time to think about 442 00:37:58,800 --> 00:38:02,760 it, we'll drop dead. 443 00:38:02,760 --> 00:38:07,360 For others of us it may be a few seconds, and for some of us it may be months or even 444 00:38:07,360 --> 00:38:14,240 years of anticipation as we battle disease. 445 00:38:14,240 --> 00:38:20,240 But however the Lord chooses to call us home, may we see that, as I believe John did, as 446 00:38:20,240 --> 00:38:25,360 the final sacrifice that we make to Jesus. 447 00:38:25,360 --> 00:38:36,280 As Paul said, I am now ready to be offered up to the Lord at his own beheading. 448 00:38:36,280 --> 00:38:42,480 The picture there, I am ready to offer up to him the final sacrifice of my very life 449 00:38:42,480 --> 00:38:48,400 itself. 450 00:38:48,400 --> 00:38:50,080 We have been bought with the price. 451 00:38:50,080 --> 00:38:52,840 We are not our own. 452 00:38:52,840 --> 00:38:55,800 God has put us into this world for a purpose. 453 00:38:55,800 --> 00:39:02,260 He sustains us here that we might accomplish that purpose and end well. 454 00:39:02,260 --> 00:39:07,040 End well with the final sacrifice. 455 00:39:07,040 --> 00:39:14,160 Jesus gave perhaps the greatest compliment possible to John the Baptist. 456 00:39:14,160 --> 00:39:26,000 He says in Luke chapter 7 verse 28, he was the greatest prophet in all of Israel. 457 00:39:26,000 --> 00:39:29,740 You go back and think about Elijah. 458 00:39:29,740 --> 00:39:32,800 You think about Samuel. 459 00:39:32,800 --> 00:39:36,000 You think about Moses. 460 00:39:36,000 --> 00:39:47,120 But the Son of God said, none of them surpasses John the Baptist. 461 00:39:47,120 --> 00:39:50,760 He ended well. 462 00:39:50,760 --> 00:39:57,760 News came a few days ago that Byron Nelson passed away. 463 00:39:57,760 --> 00:40:02,480 Byron Nelson, as some of you know, was one of the greatest golfers of all time. 464 00:40:02,480 --> 00:40:07,000 In fact, one person who was talking about him this week in the media said he was the 465 00:40:07,000 --> 00:40:09,400 greatest golfer of all time. 466 00:40:09,400 --> 00:40:18,680 In 1945, that's a while back, that's the year I was born, he won 11 consecutive tournaments. 467 00:40:18,680 --> 00:40:24,520 An interesting thing about him is that he went to church all of his life. 468 00:40:24,520 --> 00:40:25,520 Apparently he was a Christian. 469 00:40:25,520 --> 00:40:31,200 It is said that wherever he went in his tournaments as a professional golfer back in those years 470 00:40:31,200 --> 00:40:40,640 and later, he went to church every Sunday, either in the morning or the evening service. 471 00:40:40,640 --> 00:40:50,520 A few years ago, a fan was looking for Byron Nelson to meet him and drove out beyond Fort 472 00:40:50,520 --> 00:40:55,840 Worth, Texas to the area where he thought the ranch was located where this now elderly 473 00:40:55,840 --> 00:41:01,040 man, 90 some years of age, was living. 474 00:41:01,040 --> 00:41:06,440 He stopped at a church because he saw the door open and there was, in that church, he 475 00:41:06,440 --> 00:41:11,840 went in and he saw a man sweeping the floor and he asked him if he knew how to get to 476 00:41:11,840 --> 00:41:17,060 the ranch that belonged to Byron Nelson. 477 00:41:17,060 --> 00:41:23,280 This man that he assumed was the janitor smiled and replied and said, why, yes, that's where 478 00:41:23,280 --> 00:41:27,680 I live. 479 00:41:27,680 --> 00:41:36,560 Here is this man, elderly, sweeping the floor of his church. 480 00:41:36,560 --> 00:41:39,920 He ended well. 481 00:41:39,920 --> 00:41:42,960 How would Jesus sum up your life? 482 00:41:42,960 --> 00:41:47,320 Or maybe better, how would you like him to sum it up? 483 00:41:47,320 --> 00:41:51,600 Because you see, the choice is yours. 484 00:41:51,600 --> 00:41:54,940 The choice is yours. 485 00:41:54,940 --> 00:42:00,360 Someone told me this last week that Dr. Howard Hendricks, who for years was associated with 486 00:42:00,360 --> 00:42:05,800 Dallas Theological Seminary as a professor, and I think still is a professor there, pulled 487 00:42:05,800 --> 00:42:13,240 together a group of students at the seminary and they sought to identify the people in 488 00:42:13,240 --> 00:42:18,600 the Bible whose lives are given to us in panorama. 489 00:42:18,600 --> 00:42:27,320 That is, people about whom we know a lot, not just a snapshot here and there. 490 00:42:27,320 --> 00:42:33,120 What they came up with was that there are about 100 people in the Bible whose lives 491 00:42:33,120 --> 00:42:38,200 are given to us basically from beginning to end. 492 00:42:38,200 --> 00:42:42,480 What they discovered amazed me when I heard it. 493 00:42:42,480 --> 00:42:56,240 Of the 100 people whose lives are given to us that way, 55 of them did not end well. 494 00:42:56,240 --> 00:43:10,240 Of those 55, 40 of them failed in the very last part of their lives. 495 00:43:10,240 --> 00:43:20,160 Lord, help us to get home before dark. 496 00:43:20,160 --> 00:43:22,200 Let's pray. 497 00:43:22,200 --> 00:43:27,240 Father, I pray that we will learn what we need to from Herod.