HERALDS OF THE KING

 

The herald was sent to prepare the way for the coming of the king. The road was to be prepared and the reception was to be planned. The herald’s cry summoned the crowds in anticipation of the king’s arrival. That was John’s mission, and models that of the preacher. As  John the Baptist was a herald of the Lord’s first advent, we are honored to prepare people for His second coming. 

There is a MANDATE for the Lord’s herald. John was “sent.”  He was sent and he went. There was the call of God and his obedience to it. Every man of God serves because he is compelled by God’s command to preach the Gospel. It is not his choice, but God’s. 

There is a MISSION for the Lord’s  herald. John was a “witness.”  The witness is summoned to court for a “testimony.” He tells what he has seen and heard. This demands our study of the Scripture, as we gaze upon its truth and hear the voice of God. This goes beyond only the mere intellectual, to the experiential; we are not repeating hearsay, but what we have known and applied.

There is a MESSAGE for the Lord’s herald. John was a “voice.”  He stood up and spoke out. There was authority in his message for he was God’s appointed herald. There was clarity in his message for he gave an explanation rooted in Scripture, quoting from Isaiah 40:3 as “the voice of one crying in the wilderness.”  This should be said of every man who stands in the pulpit.  His words are not the opinions of a man, but the truth of God, spoken with authority and clarity.

John was not the Light, but pointed to the Light. Since some thought he might be that Light, this means that he much reflected Christ’s Light. Do we?

John summoned people to believe in Christ and be saved. He beckoned them to look to the Light and come out of the darkness of unbelief. That is our glad privilege also.

He cried out in the wilderness.  This world is a spiritual wilderness. It is replete with thorns and thistles due to the curse of sin. But, that is where God has sent us to minister. We are to help reclaim a bit of paradise from the jungle of a wicked world.  Let us tend the garden of the local church and the church field.

John beckoned those on a crooked path to straighten up. This was his call to repentance.  That is a demand to turn to Christ and away from sin. Let us persist in preaching repentance.

His focus was on Jesus.  John the Baptist wanted no glory for himself. He never said, “Behold, I am a man of God,” but declared, “Behold, the Lamb of God!”  Later, he would underscore this, “He must increase, but I must decrease,” (John 3:30). May our prayer ever be that people would not leave the worship service saying, “What a great sermon,” but “What a great Savior!”