awesome well thank you Evan I think we're just going to we're going to groove right in you guys ready if you could turn with me to Mark chapter 6 we're continuing our our Deep dive through the gospel of Mark and if some of you have joined us either either for the first time tonight or just at different times during this journey we've been endeavoring to go through the gospel of Mark together to look at the beauty of Jesus and to it's the shortest of the gospels and it was actually the first one written it's the the oldest dated gospel account which means that Matthew Luke and John found a lot of their basis from Mark's gospel account which is very concise because he was a servant and he even helped assisting Paul and Peter and Barnabas at different times as we read in the the book of Acts so his favorite word is immediately he says immediately all the time Jesus immediately did this they immediately went there immediately the healing happened how many people like immediately I do want to remind you that every immediately in the Bible is on the back of Eternal preparation that there's never a popcorn immediate in the spiritual realm it's always because of God's very intricate attention to detail there's a reason Jesus would come to this earth and be a carpenter it's because he's been creating and constructing ever since time began that he is the Constructor of the cosmos and when we think immediately we think that it just happened out of nowhere but God is very tactful he's very prepared and that when we're praying and believing for things he can come through but it's important that we realize that we are surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses do you all know that Hebrews chapter 12 tells us that we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses there is times during worship when we are all together and we're all singing that I feel so small I don't know if anybody else does and not small in a way that I feel like I'm degrading myself myself but I just realized like what if right now in this room John the Beloved walked in what if Moses walked in what if David walked and I know we immediately go to what if Jesus walked in but I I do really want everybody to know that when it says we're surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses it's important we realize what the Patriarchs and the matriarchs have sacrificed that the foundation of the church the seeds of the church are the blood of Martyrs people that have given their life for the things that we we sit in an air conditioned room and talk about some of your personal problems that you might be going through today you might you might be very humbl to realize that those problems might be a severe in this moment but compared to the landscape of Eternity compared to the people that have gone before us oh how Petty sometimes we are including myself I'm putting myself on the altar with you but tonight we're going to talk about John the Baptist being [Music] beheaded and maybe everybody here tonight was hoping that it would be a message on something a little bit more colorful or something a little bit but you understand that we need the full counsel of God's word and I think that it's fitting that John the Baptist had a very peculiar diet he ate honey and Locust maybe honey would represent the the promise of God the promised land the sweetness of God and the Locust would represent the Judgment of God and maybe our diet needs to be judgment and mercy in order to have the right affections of a disciple that the Locust represented judgment also represented resurfacing reshaping the land and God's judgment is actually part of his Mercy because it it allows us to see just how Wicked sin is and how wonderful our savior because if we don't see the price tag of sin it's hard for us to really appreciate salvation it's hard for us to really walk in the understanding of we have peace with God because Jesus endured the wrath of God that was impending to to us he stood in our place so that we could be represented by him before God the Father did you know the old Covenant was between God and man who's going to screw that Covenant up man the New Covenant is between Jesus and God who's going to screw that Covenant up and Jesus represents the Born Again believer before God you want to talk about a revelation you want to talk about something that'll put a smile on your face and make you dance a little bit but not just get ecstatic but get humbled before an almighty God just like David Avid said let us come kneel before the Lord our maker oh how great is he I was on a walk today and I'm praying talking to God I'm thinking about and I don't know if you ever fall victim to this is okay if I tell myself sometimes I do find myself trying to articulate prayers feeling like if I hit a right word or something it'll it'll do something in my heart or something like this and I'm praying and all of a sudden I'm on a walk and I'm just like like the breeze was amazing this morning around like 8:00 I'm like on a walk and and I'm out and I just start looking at creation I'm like wow like I'm trying so hard to manufacture this dialogue when you've created a canvas that I can behold you I can look you created this God why am I talking and he still wants to hear from me but all of a sudden just the the weight of understand understanding who he is and seeing how he designed the sky and the trees and the wind blowing and seeing an alligator outside the pond being like wow there you know it's like I have a picture of on my phone he was a big one today I was like oh that's a nice one um some Gator nuggets there but it was just I'm just beholding God and I'm just like this is this is amazing and this takes us into tonight when we talk about we tonight we really have to grab a hold of something I we we'll talk a little bit about John the Baptist the best that we can I'll even if I if if anybody's interested there's two books that I've been reading this past month on John the Baptist they're actually biographies of him and it takes writings from all the gospel accounts but also the early church fathers that talked about his impact even in the early church how John the Baptist his ministry was so abbreviated upon the Earth but his his impact is eternal in fact a lot of us sometimes really skim over the John the Baptist details and tonight I want to really show you his legacy and how we can find fresh breath to our walk with the Lord because uh tonight the if I had to give tonight a message you know John a title Jesus said something about John in John chapter 5 he said that John is a burning and shining lamp John 5:35 and I when I think of John the Baptist and the more I study of him I think of him as a flaming arrow and what I mean by a flaming arrow is not somebody just shooting one out of a quiver but I'm talking about a flaming arrow that when you look at him he is an arrow pointing to Christ that we actually skip over him sometimes because he did such a good job at pointing at the one we should be looking at I don't know if some of us realize how popular how big the Aurora was of John the Baptist when Jesus was beginning his ministry some of the dots will even connect tonight that some of the things you may have just stumbled over in scripture and not fully understood I know I've been guilty of that but the Lord is helping us so tonight the the message is called The Flaming Arrow famously known as John the Baptist and we're going to be in Mark 64-29 um I want to just make one statement that repentance has never been a popular message but it is the message we all desperately need to hear repentance has never been a popular message in fact Jesus made a statement in Luke chapter 6 if I can even pull it up really quick if I I just want to make sure I have all my notes here and they're all over the place in a good way but he said he made a statement in Luke chapter 6 he says if all men speak well of you woe to you if all men speak well of you woe to you pretty much saying that when you really preach righteousness now please when when I'm speaking tonight I am in no way saying that you yourself should have offensive Behavior or conduct or speech manorisms but the truth that you preach will offend but you can do it with the most compassionate and loving character and that's what's really important you don't want to be the one that offend someone you want the truth to offend them do you hear me because if you're trying to offend and them you're already out of Christlike character which means you're not speaking the truth in love but you're speaking the truth in arrogance which which actually is a bad representation of Truth so uh we did this last week let's do it again can we all stand for the reading of the word tonight starting in verse 14 of Mark chapter 6 it says now King Herod heard of him speaking of Christ for his name had become well known and he said John the Baptist is risen from the dead and therefore these powers are at work in him others said it is Elijah and others said it is the prophet or like one of the prophets but when Herod heard he said this is John whom I beheaded he has been raised from the dead for Herod himself had sent and laid hold of John and bound him in prison for the sake of herodias his brother Philip's wife for he had married her because John had said to Herod it is not lawful for you to have your brother's wife therefore herodias held it against him and wanted to kill him but she could not for Herod feared John knowing that he was a just and holy man and he protected him and when he heard him he did many things and heard him gladly then an opportune day came when Herod on his birthday gave A Feast for his Nobles the high officers and the chief men of Galilee and when rias's daughter herself came in and danced and pleased Herod and those who sat with him the king said to the girl ask me whatever you want and I will give it to you he also swore to her whatever you ask me I will give you up to half of my kingdom so she went out and said to her mother what shall I ask and he and she said the head of John the Baptist immediately she came in with haste to the king and saying I want you to give me at once the head of John the Baptist on a platter and the King was exceedingly sorrow or sorrowful yet because of the Oaths and because of those who sat with him he did not want to refuse her immediately the king sent an executioner and commanded his head to be brought and he went and beheaded him in prison brought his head on a platter and gave it to the girl and the girl gave it to her mother when his disciples heard of it they came and took away his corpse and laid it in a tomb you may be seated I don't know how anybody can read that and think wow what a great finale John what a great way to go out could you imagine I don't know about you but when I read this I get a little angry I think what a waste what a waste this man was put in prison for speaking truth against a personal unlawful action spoke against it put in prison just because they didn't like what he was saying about them personally they believe theologians believe he could have been held in prison from anywhere from a year to two years he's in prison and during this time it even said Herod like listen listening to him Herod would even it it says he heard him gladly did you know that you can flirt with truth and it won't give you eternal life you have to love truth you have to believe in truth there's a lot of people flirting with truth and that's a problem because those who flirt with truth their hearts get colder and colder and all of the sudden truth just becomes an entertainment or just something to make you consider ways that you can more selfishly perceive your own agenda but in this passage as we're going to break it down John is beheaded because of a party favor the the man that Jesus said that there has not been a greater man bore of a woman dies being beheaded because of an speaking out against an unlawful marriage and the The Witch of a wife herodias asked for his head on a platter I think I don't know about you but when I read that I'm like what John the Baptist was so faithful he preached truth how could this be his end and we will read in scripture tonight that even John the Baptist some could propose that even he had his discouragement and disappointment and even wondering if Jesus was really the one because of his predicament that he was in there's so many things we can learn from John the Baptist but he's a flaming arrow he he's a forerunner faithful to do what he was called to do Jesus even invented not invent he he gave an additional beatitude that wasn't in The Sermon on the Mount in Reply to John when he was discouraged in prison he said blessed are those who aren't offended because of me John even got an extra beatitude John is somebody that I want to look at tonight and I W to I want to see his life and be reminded that there's a high price to preach ing truth there's a high price to standing for righteousness in a perverse Society people hear what I'm saying tonight that this is why family is so important in this house because the world is growing increasingly more deceived oh how dark it is Saints it's gotten so dark that it's almost become laughable to the church instead of I think the church is more laughing at mocking at where the world is at instead of weeping and crying for how deceived they are the world is just becoming political points for conservative Christians but it's not becoming the ache in the prayer room that we need to see John the Baptist rise up in this hour that preach truth and stand for truth and that Jesus made a statement in Matthew 11 about John the Baptist when they come and he says did you go out in the wilderness to see a reed shaken in the wind and what does that mean I mean did did you go out to the Wilderness just to see a man that is moved and does all the tricks you want them to do did you go out there and see somebody that's moved by popular opinion or did you go out there and see somebody who has deep-seated conviction and will not waver they went out there and they saw a man of conviction and his Aurora caused all of Jerusalem to come and hear him preach and John 10 veres 40-42 tell us that John never performed one Miracle yet everyone came to hear him because there's something about preaching repentance that puts everyone on notice there is something about preaching repentance that the church is growing more and more more tolerant of sin and I'm I I want to make it very clear that I'm I'm not here trying to say we're not trying we should not be compassionate and loving I think we we embody that but if we don't understand what's at stake if the American church does not realize that martyr's courage is required to be a follower of Christ we are called to die daily martyrdom should be part of your lifestyle it should not be something that you just choose one day when a gun is pointed at you or when your life is required of you in the natural sense we are actually supposed to be training as Martyrs how more does the word of the Lord prune out every selfish desire in me and when we look at this passage The Life and Legacy of John the Baptist let's look at this verse 14 again it says now King Herod W to be king and I have no problem speaking disparaging you know what Jesus said in Luke somebody said herod's looking he wants to kill you he said go tell that fox that the lame walk that demons are cast out Jesus called Herod a fox he had no problem you know why because that's post his cousin getting beheaded Jesus did not like Herod no sorry you you know the Bible says in Leviticus it says very clearly that you cannot marry your brother's wife while he is still alive it seems like a rule of thumb in modern society but it's actually a law in scripture wonder where we get our morality from John the Baptist did not just preach repentance to the margin marginalized citizen the Common Man he had no problem calling out the seemingly Untouchable hierarchy so when John's on the Riverbanks and he's preaching repentance and baptizing people in the Jordan River you know what he's doing it says in Matthew 3 I believe that when the Pharisees came to the river banks I bet their arms were folded what's this guy all about that's taking everything everybody out to the Jordan River which if you know anything the Jordan River represents so much that's where the Israelites crossed over into the what the promised land which the water cleared out so they could walk on dry land which was a type of baptism symbolizing them going into the promised land but they they first went through the the the Dead Sea which would represent the baptism of of repent repentance Deliverance but then when they went through the Jordan River it would be being baptized into the Holy Spirit going into the promised land representing but John would is in the Jordan River and the Pharisees John the Baptist called out all of them he says you brood of vipers you see this is the type of preaching we do not hear sometimes this is intense the Pharisees are on the Riverbanks and John the Baptist says you brood of vipers he's telling them that you need to Bear fruits worthy of repentance you come out here and you want to just look good that you're a part of this and you see John the Baptist was raised up to be a forerunner and the one thing about him is that the whole town all of Jerusalem all they're all coming from all over to see him which is embarrassing the hierarchy spirituals and and and shaming them in a way to say that this man is out in the wilderness and all people are coming to hear him and listen to his message which would mean that they're going to go back to the Pharisees the common people and say what do you think of John the Baptist and if they say that John the Baptist is a scam or something what they would be doing is they would cause a a a a major dysfunction because everybody believed he must be from God so God was pinpointing he was he was pressuring them into having to realize that John the Baptist truly is a prophet and if you know anything about scripture John the Baptist is breaking the silence because there hasn't been a prophet since Malachi it's roughly 400 years and John the Baptist is the one that gets raised up to bring the greatest message ever told he's preparing the way that and he comes in the spirit of Elijah and Elijah's name means Yahweh is God which means Elijah came and he proved to all the Pagan worshippers he proved to all the prophets of Baal he proved to him all that Yahweh is God and what's interesting thing is John was given a name by God and his name means graced by God it means that he he is he's coming in the spirit of Elijah to show the way of God Elijah came to show he is God but John is Paving the way to show who God Is by preparing the way of Grace himself which is Jesus Christ and what's another striking similarity about the spirit of Elijah is that John Elijah had a a unique diet plan as well and he had a an Ecentric wardrobe but you know what else is striking about this story did you know who is the one that wants John the Baptist dead herodias we find a new testament Jezebel that it's not actually Herod that wants Dad it's the witch of a wife it's herodias she wants John the Baptist had on a platter and even though Herod is flirting with truth and he doesn't really want to kill John the Baptist why doesn't he want to kill John the Baptist because everybody knows that there is something that is celestial feel about this man there is something that is beyond the cosmic this man is Holy and Herod has this feeling that if I kill this guy God might kill me I think Herod was shivering in his boots but his Witch of a wife she would say that's right uh and she would say that I want his head on a platter and why would she why would she say that because it is showing us that the spirit of Elijah is on John the Baptist and even though Herod wanted to flirt with the truth he was really married to the world he was in Covenant with wickedness because his whole identity was married on Rebellion against God word Jezebel so these are details and another striking similarity to Elijah and John is that remember Elijah when he gets threatened by Jezebel he's hiding in a cave and he's in Despair and despondency John when he's in prison gets to a place of discouragement and despondency but he get hears the word of the Lord just like Elijah did isn't it awesome when you just get the panoramic view of scripture and see so I'm taking a while to get to this but I I really want to show you who the Aurora of John the Baptist is miraculous conception do you remember Zacharias and Elizabeth she was Barren and past childbearing age does that sound like something Abraham and Sarah you it seem like God God likes to tell stories and we keep thinking it's impossible and he says no I'm still God he's the Great I Am because he takes the I am out of impossible and so check this out again let's read slowly Saints I I I did prepare some slides which I'm I'm not normally good at I gave it to the team our first point is Legacy everybody say Legacy legac looking at this text and looking at John the Baptist in this story the first point is Legacy I want to ask you a question what will your life testify after you're gone and don't give me the spiritual answer that no I'll never be gone I'll always be that I I get it you don't have to play the hypers spiritual card answer the question what will your life test testify after you're gone because when we look at John the Baptist story that even though he even though his life ended by being beheaded he's still burning his message was still burning and we're going to show you why because Mark tells the story in a funny way because he he says what herod's really going through in the moment and then he backtracks about what happened to John the Baptist so you got to kind of read it in a way where you get the punchline first but the quote up there that I want you to see is that the greatest thing you could ever do with your life is lay it at the feet of Jesus in whatever you do don't and and we in American culture and in some things we have we have made the five-fold ministry like the Pinnacle of purpose in life and I want to push back against that and say that we need Holy Ghost construction workers we need holy ghost on entrepreneurs we need Holy Ghost people in every sphere of Life stop exalting five-fold Ministry is the only way to serve God that is alive from the pit of Hell and it's causing people to actually run away from their very purpose in God because they think the most unbiblical thing is the divorce between the secular and the spiritual you find purpose because we need a witness in every sphere because when you have deep-seated conviction in every sphere of life you are preaching the gospel because you're preaching The Sermon on the Mount with the way you live your life before your peers that's good preaching I want you to know um so in verse 14 it says now King Herod heard of him for his name had become well known who did he hear of he heard of Christ and it says and he said John the Baptist is risen from the dead and therefore these powers are work in him others said it is Elijah so are you are you I just got I wait and others said it is the prophet or like one of the prophets but when Herod heard he said this is John whom I beheaded he has been raised from the dead now watch John's Legacy even though he was beheaded the man that had him executed soon as he hears of what Christ is doing and you have to catch up with me a lot of us just think that soon as Christ came on the scene every body knew him I have to push back on you to understand that everybody knew John the Baptist not everybody knew Christ yet that Christ was building his reputation in small towns he was he was he was circulating he was going John the Baptist became a household name he was you could almost say he was a celebrity but he didn't desire to be a celebrity he became one because God exalted him him as a horn and gave him a message and everybody came and John had one purpose and that was to be a flaming arrow and pointed point to the bridegroom which we'll get to that passage too if we if we get to but it's the that you you're seeing that Herod had him executed and Herod is starting this this cowardly spineless leader is starting to hear about Christ Christ he's starting to hear there's a man doing Miracles there and there's a man that's preaching the same ethics that John the Baptist was preaching maybe it's because they grew up together maybe their moms had play dates maybe they homeschooled together Co-op John the Baptist and Jesus had similar language and herod's hearing about this man Jesus and herod's first thought is oh my gosh John the Baptist is back from the dead you want to talk about a legacy John preached with such tenacity he stood his ground so much that he haunted Herod when I ask you what's your life going to be when it's gone do you reflect Christ in every area that if you were to die that would unsa family members or people that mocked you would you haunt their souls with truth now and you know what I mean by that I'm not trying to say you would I'm trying to say that the conviction of the spirit of God through your life of going in that that I'm asking us that are we standing for truth in such a way that our lives haunt the unrighteous Soul into conviction and this man Herod he is Herod anpus which just so you all know that this isn't the Herod that sent out the the alert to have all the babies killed when Jesus that was that was his father Herod the Great he was a tetrarch and he only had a quarter of his fathers he was over Galilee and and uh what was the other region do you know off hand John you're usually a history buff of that do you remember the other it was Galilee and what was the other place that do you know he was a tetrarch of two spots it's it's not totally relevant but Galilee was one of them and he was a ruler over that in in the sense that he's over that territory so he's hearing and he saying then did you other did you see what else it's saying is it Elijah so you see Herod heard enough preaching to realize that when he heard of Christ that all of a sudden he's thinking John the Baptist is got his head back and he's coming to get me isn't that awesome oh man if I go out as a martyr I want anybody that executed to think that of me when they like oh my gosh is D back from the dead when something happens in their life they're like oh man but there's there's a there's a there's a great there's such a great detail here about Legacy the thing is is that when Herod began to hear about Christ the first thing he thought of was John the Baptist the thing I want to ask you about your legacy is when you die will the first thought people have of you when they think of Christ will they think of you as well is your Association to Christ so connected so interwoven that you're that you're seamless in that relationship amen so there's a the other thing that I would bring up just as a side point is if you notice these names when it says John the Baptist or Elijah like one of the other prophets remember when Jesus asked Peter who do men say that I am remember what did they all say some say you're John the Baptist others say you're Elijah some say Jeremiah one of the other prophets to so you see that the Talk of the Town wasn't firmly about Christ they were associating Christ with John the Baptist because John the Baptist was more popular at that time because he was preparing the way and that everybody was going to be looking at John the Baptist wondering and instead of this King riding on a horse into town to say we're going to take the Roman government it was a king riding on a donkey it was a it was a man that was walking with the marginalize those that didn't have enough that he was such a compassionate Savior and you have to think John the Baptist might have even thought that the Messiah was going to take over as well um we don't know for sure of that but there's a chance uh that you could make that argument of why John the Baptist was even wondering are you it or are we looking for another one because he he felt that way so let's keep going here is this helping anybody so far so I also just I I cannot bring up enough about how John the Baptist ministry was so simple you know know we think we need so much in order to affect people instead of I I want you to know that the anointing rest on authenticity that you can minister to so many people when you're authentically who God's called you to be and John the Baptist he could have rode the coattails of his father and he could have just easily been a priest and had a comfortable life because he was part of the priesthood but he was called to the Wilderness to eat Locust and and wild honey and wear camels hair some people would think he was deranged but I actually think that he he actually could have been the most sound person because when you see who Christ is when you when you understand the word of the Lord you are so sound in your decision making that you're you're not easily interrupted which would bring us to our next point which is boldness everybody say boldness boldness now I'm asking some questions tonight so you can make sure you're really reflecting so you don't just hear a message of boldness and just say yeah I'm bold I know how to what social or political issues do you feel the most fear in representing Christ you know there's some people in the room I don't fear anything I don't but maybe that exact thought is why nobody's listening to you because you're arrogant you're not bold boldness is the fruit of Revelation it's not the it's not the characteristic of arrogance boldness is something that I'm so convicted on what truth is and I refuse to have somebody in my sphere live at a lesser place if I can speak truth and love into their life and what's happening in society is there is becoming a increased pressure to not speak against certain unrighteousness is that true or not is that true or not Saints we can't just act like everything's okay in here and just say Amen to truth and not realize that there is an intimidation coming that is trying to cause there to be fear and standing for truth in the midst of a perverse generation there's a reason that John was beheaded he we we all love Steven and he was the first martyr of the early church but John is the first martyr of the New Testament and he wasn't martyred for preaching the gospel he was martyred because he called out he called out the sinful infrastructure in leaders oh man you see we like nice rooms where we can all just share our stories with one another but it takes some boldness to to go to the city and say abortion is demonic these types of things are not okay in our city human trafficking there's too much laws that are tolerating this to go on even further there's that that there and we want to honor and we want to show honor but at the same time we cannot just go idly by and just act like everything's okay because God has placed us here to be the salt of the earth we are preserving territory and we have to be we have to be bold and that's why in the book of Acts when the disciples were reprimanded for preaching truth and they got beaten for it they went back up into the upper room where they received power from the Holy Spirit which just so you know John the Baptist Legacy when Jesus told them he said in Acts 1:4 it says just as John baptized you in water I'm going to baptize you in the Holy Spirit and they went in that upper room and all they could think about was John was the one that initiated one of the greatest trinitarian experiences in all of eternity he baptized Jesus Jesus went into the waters to get baptized for the remission of sins and had never once sinned while the Pharisees were on the shore saying I don't know about this guy with all their sin the Spotless one says John says I'm not even worthy to unstrap your sandals and he says permit it now to fulfill righteousness to fulfill God's word and Jesus goes into the waters and when he goes into the waters could you imagine having John's seat John John the Baptist baptizes the Messiah Christ himself goes into the water and then the holy spirit in what bodily form comes down and rest upon him and the Father renss the heavens and says this is my beloved Son in who I'm well pleased I guarantee you John had a different outlook on everything after that moment he must must have said this is worth everything I don't care if they behead me I don't care if I can have a front row seat to this this was everything and this is why John would say that my joy is in hearing the bridegroom's voice in John chapter 3 because you know why he said that he said because his disciples were leaving him because he was the big shot everybody was following John and then when John said Behold the Lamb of God all of John's disciples started following Jesus because that's how you know if you're really discipling people they don't follow you they follow Christ they said John's the greatest prophet he wasn't prophesying who you're going to marry he wasn't prophesying which job you were going to have he was speaking the word of the Lord he was just declaring Isaiah and Malachi it wasn't this crazy thing on the internet that send me this and I'll give you this that's a whole bunch of profit foolishness and it needs to be called out because it's wrong all the time now I'm not saying we don't flow in spiritual gifts I'm all for it but You Better Be watchful that when you put yourself in the same category as John the Baptist we're talking about a real Prophet here and we need reverence we're standing on Holy Ground surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses we need a daily dose of the fear of the Lord in this hour to have boldness now watch oh I I got to say one more thing I've read two biographies on John the Baptist this month I'm a little I'm Reeling I uh something you may forget do you know who the disciples that did you know that we could say on good authority that two of them were Jesus's disciples do you know who one of them was John the Beloved that's why when he writes his gospel account he shares intimate do dialogue that John the Baptist even had and take it even further Andrew who was Simon Peter's brother was a disciple so we could actually make an argument that James John's brother and Peter were actually first John the Baptist disciples and guess who was Jesus's inner three Peter James and John do you think it's because John the Baptist did such a job at discipling and pointing to Christ that Jesus could trust them in a way do you see how we can skip over details and now realize that the actual that four of the disciples follow John the Baptist closely so when they're writing their gospel counts that's why John the Baptist fingerprints are all throughout the gospels because he had such an impact yet his life was so abbreviated boldness say boldness again boldness and we have it up there that convictions give you a righteous spine compromise makes you spineless and oh man compromise will come very quickly and we see it in this passage because in verse 17 it says for Herod himself had sent and laid hold of John and bound him in prison for the sake of herodias his brother Philip's wife for he had married her because John had said to Herod it is not lawful for you to have your brother 's wife therefore herodias held it against him and wanted to kill him but she could not for Herod feared John knowing that he was a just and holy man he protected him and he heard him and did many things and heard him glad everybody say that again heard him gladly gladly that needs to hit you do you know how many people can sit in church and hear a preacher gladly and not change one thing about their life oh that's a great message you know what that's self-help that's good be a better me my best life now I'm telling you you have to make sure you're not being deceived when I open my bible it is not just rainbow and butterflies it's ouch sometimes I'm not the husband that I should be right now father help me when I see this let me see the father that you are shape me you see it's important that we realize you see even the simple things in life that we you know how easy it is to tell a little lie just to make yourself look better about maybe being late somewhere or things like that it's not okay and you're like like you know you're being too harsh you know what I I would I would say that if our immediate thought is to just excuse away different things in our life that we're we're not embracing the shaping and it's not about beating yourself up it's about understanding that you are called to be holy and that's not only by spiritual transaction in a Heavenly courtroom but that the sanctification process that we're being called into that when I read about John the Baptist I'm seeing somebody that was so deeply convicted it said his parents I I skipped over this detail Zacharias and Elizabeth in Luke chapter 1 16 where's my parents in the house raise your hand these parents and grandparents in the house listen to this Luke 1 6-7 Zacharias and Elizabeth they were both righteous before God walking in all the Commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless but they had no child and that's you see these parents they heard from the Lord and they've raised John the Baptist to know his call parents you're raising a royal priesthood a chosen generation talk to them like it minister to them like it pray for them like it we need another generation of John the Baptist yes you are peculiar to this time but we are preparing for the return of the Lord he was the Forerunner for the first time we're the forerunners for the next return the greatest moment in all of eternity is among us we need to see the children as the seed of the future Speak Life over them declare make spiritual disciplines the most natural thing the reason it seems unnatural is because it might not be a natural flow in your life eating is natural drinking is natural unfortunately watching the TV is natural make prayer natural make reading the word natural make apologizing when you're wrong natural make reconciliation natural make gossip extinct these are principles we need amen so we said boldness there's so much oh Lord help us um can I okay I want to share a few scriptures here 2 Timothy 3:12 if you taking notes yes and all who desire to live Godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution does it say some who desire to live God Godly it says yes and all who desire to live Godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution this is the one I was sharing earlier it's Luke 6:26 Jesus said woe to you when all men speak well of you for so did their fathers to the false prophets get them Jesus John 15 18-19 gez we read this last week if the world hates you you know that it hated me before it hated you if you were of the world the world would love its own yet because you are not of the world but I chose you out of the world therefore the world hates you you see sometimes we try to encourage if they really knew you they'd love you that's not what Jesus says Jesus says that if they hated me they're goingon to hate you too I know that doesn't sound like Hallmark advice but it's scripture it's biblical eat your vegetable Saints it's good at least I was told it's good each um what did Jesus say in the Beatitudes Matthew 5:10 through2 blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness sake for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven blessed are you when they revile and persecute you and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for my sake rejoice and be exceedingly glad for great is your reward in heaven for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you you know I'm so thankful that people hurt my feelings I'm so thankful that the people that were showing me scripture and righteousness hurt my feelings no you can't do that Dom that's not okay that's not right that's not a good Witness I'll pray with you but that's not okay that hurt my feelings when they told me that I need to change that hurt my feelings when he didn't accept my truth this language is causing so many walls called offense from the heart being penetrated and we need to get rid of that language and it should in this house Jesus came to restore intimacy with him unhindered unbroken Fellowship which means what did Adam and Eve do as soon as they sin they cover themselves with the Fig leaves we talked about this a few weeks ago Jesus said he came to rip the Fig leaves off we stand before him our father clothed in his righteousness ah Psalm 119228 therefore therefore all your precepts concerning all things I consider to be right I hate every false way can you say that out loud I hate every false way some of you need to put that in your prayer language is there a baby being delivered there we go the mid The Midwives are on [Applause] assignment um so something's getting birthed tonight there we go so uh so when we have here is understanding though that you need to incorporate in your prayer life a hatred for unrighteousness if everything is always loving lovey doy you need to learn how to swing the sword of the spirit Paul said in Romans 8:13 put to death the Deeds of the flesh he did not say cuddle with your sin he did not say have little pet transgression not to have little project lust some of you have your lust on a leash instead of in a grave it's important that we see this because we I mean we haven't even H how um this is the way I process um now one final point in boldness and and then we'll we'll we'll land the plane worship team hold your hold your ground but the uh I do want to say that did you notice how John had him in or how Herod had him in prison did you see how he wanted the truth it's just he wanted to have control of its influence putting having John in prison meant that he wanted the truth near but he just just wanted to be in control of its influence you can come talk to me when I want you to talk to me go back to your cage truth I want to go be a little perverted I want to flesh out go back and then and I know I'm being graphic tonight but I think it's needed it's important that we realize that in a world overcome by immorality that's gushing forth through every pore of society and even swelling in the church like a tumor how has anybody I'm sure you're not oblivious we don't have to not talk about the EP in the room we're seeing leaders Fall by the drones it's so sad and even though I want to just say I know that this can happen I would be lying to you if I'm not deeply deeply grieved in my heart and I hope I hope you are as well that you're not just saying yeah another Scandal no that's not how we should have that's not how we should look at this or think about this we're talking about egregious acts of Sin from church leadership representing the body of Christ could you make sure you pray for your leadership here that you know one of the things that we're endeavoring to do as a leadership here we're going to have a couple of them up on a panel during July de speak more about discipleship in this house CU I really believe that I don't want there to be I don't want to be a personality that is ever worshiped here or ever come to because built around a personality I believe that the body of Christ is so beautiful and when we all come together that we humbly come to him as a family and that there's not somebody that plays by a different set of rules here do you hear me Saints that we're in this together and that's for your safety and my safety it's important but we need arrows of righteousness forerunners burning for the return of Christ oh man we just so need this and uh everybody say the devastation of sin Dev of sin this is our third point we're almost wrapping up only a few more moments here it says verse 21 then an opportune day came when Herod on his birthday do you ever see that word opportune there now if you're an attentive Bible reader this word struck me as soon as I read it opportune if you remember when Jesus was tempted in the Wilderness at the end of his Temptations the end enemy it was said the enemy left and it said he would come back at a more opportune time some of you need to start understanding when you're becoming near to an opportune moment and scripture warns us it says in 2 Corinthians 2:11 lest Satan should take advantage of us for we are not ignorant of his devices and that pass is speaking of unforgiveness Saints if there's unforgiveness in your heart the enemy has a lot of access you can pray all you want you're commanded to forgive this is Bible this is simple your freedom is only complicated when you do self-interpretation we have to have the spirit's lens on this and you see up there the question for this is what sin has cost you the most have you ever reflected on a question like that like what sin in your life has cost you the most all of it and that's a great answer but being specific maybe some men in the house would say lust has cost them a lot maybe somebody people people that have had addictive personalities maybe drugs have cost them a lot in certain Arenas of their life maybe those that have a hard time forgiving that unreconciled time when the enemy is coming back to see cuz maybe the Temptations have lifted for a little bit and the enemy is waiting for the proper ingredients like we're going to read about right here that it said that the opportune time and that quote up there I want you that we give volume to the voice of Temptation when we entertain the desires we should be extinguishing that's right did you know that there's certain and I say this boasting only in the cross there are certain temptations that when I hear them I begin to laugh at them is there any is there any Saints in the house that in a previous season it would have ate me alive but now I'll hear a Temptation I'll be like that's not who I am exactly second cor 2 Corinthians chapter 10 take every vain thought captive soon as a thought enters this this isn't a Temptation This is a joke but if there's moments that I'm getting cocky in my walk with the Lord and I'm accrediting my busy schedule to oh I just got to do a lot right now and my prayer time's lagging and my time in the words lagging the enemy is opportune time let's see if we can turn the voice of Temptation up because the ingredients seem to be there and look who we see with Herod you guys good for a a little more I'm going anyway but um start to be nice um the then an opportune day came when Herod on his birthday gave A Feast for his Nobles the high officers and the chief men of Galilee so he's got all his boys oh pure pressure reputation fear of man when her herodias his daughter herself came and danced you know theologians track her age to be somewhere between 9 and 12 that was a striking detail to me as well it's a pedophile watch and isn't it crazy how it's happening in the church right now it's a huge problem with it's it was a it's been an epidemic for Catholicism and we can go down so many roads with that but you know I'm just saying that this is uh the enemy is looking for an opportune time to expose the church as not being sold out John the Baptist oh when herodias his daughter herself came and danced and pleased Herod is anybody's stomach churning maybe you read scripture sometimes and you're like okay this is sickening pleased Herod and those who sat with him the king said to the girl ask me whatever you want and I will give it to you you know what's really unique about this I think we can all relate to Herod here and I know you're like how could we this is so disgusting but just track with me there's times in life when the voice of Temptation gets really loud and all of a sudden you're willing to write a check that is going to bankrupt your soul Herod when he said I'll give you whatever you want even up to half the kingdom in no part of his brain I guarantee you he thought that John's head was on the table literally but you see sin makes you so stupid and there's a quote from I believe Greg Lori you're going to know as soon as I say it I don't know if he's the one that coined it but sin will take you farther than you want to go keep you longer than you want to stay and cost you more than you want to pay Saints this is why Community is so important this is why trying to deal with sin and isolation the enemy is picking you off he's a wolf going after the Sheep but we have a Shepherd that will go at the lion go at the bear and pull you out of its mouth Ephesians 4:27 says nor give place to the devil and it's speaking of having righteous conduct and speech 1 John 2:15-17 sayso not love the world or the things in the world if anyone loves the world the love of the father is not in him for all that is in the world the lust of the flesh the lust of the eyes and the pride of life it is not of the father but it is of the world and the world is passing away in the lust of it but he who does the will of God abides forever did John the Baptist do the will of God oh yes so what were the ingredients that made this an opportune time well he was in the presence of his peers so he had the fear of man which would be the lust of the flesh the seductive sensuous provocative dancing the lust of the eyes and investing in selfishness I'll give you anything you want was the pride of life this is this is crazy that he would get in this position where it says and he swore that I would give you I'll give you up to half my kingdom he didn't even have the authority to do that he only had a quarter of the Kingdom so he's even sin is making him so puffed up that he's just saying these things saying it to a young girl like what's she G to do this is but this is watch and our final Point here is the Dominion of righteousness have you recently considered the cost of following Christ you know I'm uh this was a quote that uh I was writing that if if we don't consider the price tag of following Christ we will sell out for a hollow pleasure and be left with Esau's soup instead of Israel's inheritance if we don't consider the price tag of following Christ we will sell out for hollow pleasure and be left with Esau's soup instead of Israel's inheritance this final moment here the great John the Baptist immediately she came in with haste to the king and asked saying I want you to give me at once the head of John the Baptist on a platter and the King was exceedingly sorrowful yet because of the Oaths and because of those who sat with him he did not want to refuse her you see he even had an out he could have just said that's that's ridiculous but he was so entrenched in the fear of man and the pride of life that he turned his back on Truth we look at this and it seems so black and white yet there are people walking around us at our jobs there's people walking through society that this is literally their life they are pushing away truth and they're selling their souls to perversion deception you know there was a time that I could sin and not even think about it do you know sin sin is painful to a Believer sin sinning is is just numb to a non-believer but sinning to a Believer should be painful I'm thankful that we're forgiven and that we are but just knowing that I could have leaned in more and he accepts me and he holds Us close and this is in no way me trying to bring condemnation in any way I'm just trying to raise our awareness of what we're called into we're called to be holy we're called to live righteously do you believe that because there's a lot of messages that have gone forth that have Pat you on the back in your sin and don't call you to change that is not the gospel there's too much we could go through tonight I hope I just wet your appetite to study John the Baptist go home and read the passages about John the Baptist it's so good Paul's first message he speaks of John the Baptist John the Baptist was such worship team you can come now I want to live to hear well done my good and faithful servant I'd rather hear that out of the mouth of God than to hear the praise of all mankind and I I really John the Baptist just preaching repentance in the wilderness no signs or Miracles yet it it drew everyone I want to ask you a question I want to share this about sometimes the Pentecostal and charismatic circles which I am a part of I'm right with y'all non-denominational I want to ask you a question are you chasing experience or walking in obedience because I think there's so many people that are lusting for Pentecost experience but they're not willing to live in a mundane moment of faithfulness to God and that they question that since they haven't had an experience lately what do you think John the Baptist would say to you I just haven't felt the presence of the Lord at the altar in a while John the Baptist is out in the wilderness eating honey and Locust preaching repentance and calling leaders out for their sin do you think he felt all this Holy Ghost Goosebumps all the time no because his food was to do the will of the Lord and I want to challenge you Saints I'm all for experience but if you're chasing it I guarantee you you're not walking in obedience because just walking in simple obedience is one of the greatest experiences because at the end of the age I will hear well done my good and faithful servant that will make up for any lack of an emotional experience I might have had at certain times in this life Romans 8:18 for I consider that the suffering of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in Us 2 Corinthians 4:17 for our light Affliction which is but for a moment is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory and we're going to sing this I asked the the team if they could sing this and I called it last minute so I you have complete grace and mercy Shauna you're going to do great she probably just heard this song for the first time like last night this was an Odie um and it's not even a well-known song but when uh my family and I first came down to Florida and I was at um the river at Tampa Bay for for a tenure while I was there they would sing this song almost every Sunday and it was it was for me to live is Christ and to die as gain no matter what price I pay I choose to give this life away and John the Baptist at the end of his life if when he said yes if he knew that he was going his life was going to end by being beheaded by a witch so many people be like John why didn't you just leave them alone why didn't you just you your ministry could have been so much more fruitful if you did this but that's why John said he must increase I must decrease the reason John had to be beheaded was so that he could get out of the way so that Jesus could then be Center Stage John didn't get to share of the stage but he built it are you okay building the stage or do you have to be on it in order to feel good what is our role Saints Paul said it in Philippians 1 for I know that this will turn out for my Deliverance through your prayer and supply of the spirit of Jesus Christ according to my Earnest expectation and hope that in nothing I shall be ashamed but with all boldness as always so now also Christ will be magnified in my body whether by life or by death for me to live as Christ and to die as gain Saints tonight's going to be a little different I know we normally have prayer couples come up but there's something holy about tonight I as much as