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NOTICE:   THESE SERMONS ARE FREE TO BE USED BUT ARE NOT TO BE SOLD!

GREAT IN THE SIGHT OF THE LORD

Introduction

John 1:6– "There was a man sent from God, whose name was John."

Jesus spoke of the greatness of John the Baptist in Matthew 11:7-11 and Luke 7:24-28.

Matthew 11:11–“Verily I say unto you, Among them that are born of women there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist:. . .”

Here in our text, the angel said that he would be great in the sight of the Lord.

The angel said that John's greatness in the eyes of the Lord would be a source of joy to his family and many others. (Luke 1:14-15)

There is a difference between being great in the eyes of men and being great in the eyes of God.

The world's standards of greatness involve the applause of men, worldly accomplishments, fanciful prestige, and lofty degree.

True greatness involves having a servant's heart. Jesus said in Matthew 23:11, ". . .he that is greatest among you shall be your servant."

What made him great? It was not because of any miracles, because John did no miracles. (John 10:41) It is true that he became a great preacher and a great prophet, but I believe that the source of his greatness began even before his becoming a preacher and prophet.

Do you have a desire to be great in the sight of the Lord? I believe that each of us should have such a desire. The question is, what does it take for us to be great for God?

God recognized John the Baptist as being great, let’s look at his life and see some things that made him great.

I.          HE WAS GREAT IN HIS REFUSAL AND CONVICTIONS.

             ("he… shall drink neither wine nor strong drink") Vs 15

I want you to note that God gave him his convictions, but John the Baptist made them his own.

Could I tell you that God has given us his convictions, but we’ve got to make them our own. We too must decide NOT to do some things.

              A.         Understand That These Were Not Opinions, But Were God Given Convictions.

                          Some people live their lives according to what is popular.

                                       They dress in the latest fashions.

                                       They participate in the activities of the “in” crowd.

They conform not only their dress and activities, but every part of their lives according to the standards of the world.

That is not the way that a Christian is suppose to conduct their lives.

                          Our lives are to be lived according to God’s principles.

                                       We are to talk the way he would have us to talk.

                                       We are to walk the way he would have us to walk.

We are to live according to the way he would have us live.

That’s what John the Baptist did. He didn’t look to the world for acceptance, but rather he looked to God

If we look to please the world and fit in with the world and be accepted by the world, we will never be great with God.

              B.         People Need To Know What We Stand For, And What We Won’t Stand For!

It is much easier to live our lives without taking a stand, but we will never be great with God being that way.

There wasn’t any question about what John the Baptist stood for and what he wouldn’t stand for.

His stand on some things wasn’t popular, but that didn’t mean he avoided those issues or hid from them.

                          In fact, he articulated it to his own demise. 

              C.         It Is Impossible To Be Great In The Sight Of The Lord And Be A Friend Of The World At The Same Time.

                          (James. 4:4; John 15:18-20)

We can’t have it both ways.

If we are going to seek to be great in the eyes of the world, then we will not be great in the eyes of the Lord because these are opposed to each other.

So that also means if we are going to seek to be great in the eyes of the Lord, then we will not be great in the eyes of the world.

If we want to be great in the sight of the Lord, then we are going to have to be different than the world in many important ways spelled out in the Word of God.

There are some things that the world accepts and embraces that we must refuse.

             HE WAS GREAT IN HIS REFUSAL AND CONVICTIONS.

II.         HE WAS GREAT IN HIS RENEWAL AND CONSECRATION.

             ("he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost"). Vs 15

It is not enough for us to be empty of what is wrong. We must be filled with what is right.

We might be tempted to cry, “No Fair!” because the Bible says here that John the Baptist was filled with the Holy Ghost even from his mother’s womb. (I can’t explain it, I don’t understand it, but the Bible says it was so.)

But realize that John the Baptist had to do some things to maintain that filling!

Those of us who are saved were filled with the Holy Ghost the moment we were born again! But there are some things we have to do to maintain that filling.

             A.         True Greatness Comes From Within.

                          To be great for God means we must be great with God.

              B.         To Be Filled With The Holy Spirit Is To Be Under The Influence Of The Holy Spirit.

Every child of God is to be filled with the Holy Spirit.

                          It is a command.

Ephesians. 5:18–“And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit;”

John the Baptist refused those things he needed to refuse; he embraced the things he needed to embrace, and thereby he was filled with the Holy Ghost or Holy Spirit.

Are you filled with the Holy Spirit? We can never be great in the sight of the Lord apart from the filling of the Holy Spirit!

             HE WAS GREAT IN HIS REFUSAL AND CONVICTIONS.

             HE WAS GREAT IN HIS RENEWAL AND CONSECRATION.

III.       HE WAS GREAT IN HIS REVIVAL AND CONVERSIONS.

             "many of the children of Israel shall he turn to the Lord their God."

Many people came to repentance and faith in their lives because of John the Baptist. (Matthew 3:1-8)

Many people were pointed to the Lord Jesus Christ because of John the Baptist. (John 1:19-36)

As we are empty of worldly desires and as we are filled with the Holy Spirit, it will result in folks turning to the Lord .

             (Acts 1:8; 2:4, 41; 4:31, 32a; 6:5, 7; 11:24)

True Greatness In The Eyes Of The Lord Comes As We Attach Ourselves To His Great Cause And Become Involved In His Greatest Work!

IV.       HE WAS GREAT IN HIS REPROVAL AND CONFRONTATION. (Luke 3:19-20).

              A.         God asks in Psalm 94:16, "Who will rise up for me against the evildoers? or who will stand up for me against the workers of iniquity?"

              B.         That which is evil needs to be confronted with Truth!

Whether we are talking about the decline of the family, the evils of both immorality and homosexuality, the wickedness of killing babies under the guise of a woman’s choice or some other blatant evil in the world, we need to understand that evil needs to be confronted with Truth!

Do we confront evil as we should? Or in the name of political correctness and our not wanting to be called a prude, a bigot, judgmental or some other name do we just sit by in silence?

V.         HE WAS GREAT IN HIS REFERRAL AND CONFESSION.

             John 3:30–“He must increase, but I must decrease.”

Luke 3:16–“John answered, saying unto them all, I indeed baptize you with water; but one mightier than I cometh, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to unloose: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire:”

             This is the real secret in greatness--humility and exalting the Lord.

              A.         When John was asked who he was, he simply answered, "A VOICE…"

             B.         D.L. Moody said, "The beginning of greatness is to be LITTLE. The increase of greatness is to be LESS. The perfection of greatness is to be NOTHING!"

CONCLUSION:

We’ve seen these things that made John the Baptist was great in the eyes of the Lord. What about us? Are we seeking to be great in the eyes of the Lord?

Or are our desires more toward being great in the eyes of the world?

Possessions, popularity, and personal power can never make us great with God!

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NOTICE:   THESE SERMONS ARE FREE TO BE USED BUT ARE NOT TO BE SOLD!