1. JOHN THE BAPTIST
What was his mission?

2. The Mission of John the Baptist
A. It was a divine mission.
1. God sent him on it.

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

4. Luke 7:30
But the Pharisees and lawyers rejected the will of God for themselves, not having been baptized by him.

5. The Mission of John the Baptist
A. It was a divine mission.
1. God sent him on it.
2. The prophets predicted it.

6. Isaiah 40:3-5 The voice of one crying in the wilderness:
"Prepare the way of the Lord; Make straight in the desert A highway for our God. Every valley shall be exalted And every mountain and hill brought low; The crooked places shall be made straight And the rough places smooth; The glory of the Lord shall be revealed, And all flesh shall see it together; For the mouth of the Lord has spoken."

7. Malachi 3:1; 4:5
"Behold, I send My messenger, And he will prepare the way before Me. And the Lord, whom you seek, Will suddenly come to His temple, Even the Messenger of the covenant, In whom you delight. Behold, He is coming," Says the Lord of hosts."
"Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet Before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord."

8. Matthew 11:13-14
"For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John. And if you are willing to receive it, he is Elijah who is to come."

9. Matthew 17:10-13
And His disciples asked Him, saying, "Why then do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?" Jesus answered and said to them, "Indeed, Elijah is coming first and will restore all things. But I say to you that Elijah has come already, and they did not know him but did to him whatever they wished. Likewise the Son of Man is also about to suffer at their hands." Then the disciples understood that He spoke to them of John the Baptist.

10. Luke 1:17
"He will also go before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, 'to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children,' and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord."

11. The Mission of John the Baptist
A. It was a divine mission.
B. He preached the kingdom of God.
1. He gave knowledge of salvation to “his people.”

12. Luke 1:76-79
"And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Highest; For you will go before the face of the Lord to prepare His ways, To give knowledge of salvation to His people By the remission of their sins, Through the tender mercy of our God, With which the Dayspring from on high has visited us; To give light to those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death, To guide our feet into the way of peace."

13. The Mission of John the Baptist
A. It was a divine mission.
B. He preached the kingdom of God.
1. He gave knowledge of salvation to “his people.”
2. He announced “the kingdom of heaven is at hand;” only Jews looked for it.

14. Matthew 3:1-2
In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, and saying, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!"

15. The Mission of John the Baptist
A. It was a divine mission.
B. He preached the kingdom of God.
1. He gave knowledge of salvation to “his people.”
2. He announced “the kingdom of heaven is at hand;” only Jews looked for it.
3. He was not in the kingdom.

16. Matthew 11:11
"Assuredly, I say to you, among those born of women there has not risen one greater than John the Baptist; but he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he."

17. The Mission of John the Baptist
C. He was to turn Israel back to God.

18. Luke 1:17
"He will also go before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, 'to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children,' and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord."

19. The Mission of John the Baptist
C. He was to turn Israel back to God.
1. This involved a baptism of repentance “for” or “unto” the remission of sins.

20. Mark 1:4
John came baptizing in the wilderness and preaching a baptism of repentance for the remission of sins.

21. The Mission of John the Baptist
C. He was to turn Israel back to God.
1. It involved a baptism of repentance “for” or “unto” the remission of sins.
2. He taught the Jews to repent.

22. Luke 1:16
"And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God."

23. The Mission of John the Baptist
C. He was to turn Israel back to God.
1. It involved a baptism of repentance “for” or “unto” the remission of sins.
2. He taught the Jews to repent.
3. He taught faith in a Christ to come.

24. Acts 19:1-2
And it happened, while Apollos was at Corinth, that Paul, having passed through the upper regions, came to Ephesus. And finding some disciples he said to them, "Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?"
So they said to him, "We have not so much as heard whether there is a Holy Spirit."

25. Acts 19:3-4 And he said to them, "Into what then were you baptized?"
So they said, "Into John's baptism."
Then Paul said, "John indeed baptized with a baptism of repentance, saying to the people that they should believe on Him who would come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus."

26. The Mission of John the Baptist
C. He was to turn Israel back to God.
1. It involved a baptism of repentance “for” or “unto” the remission of sins.
2. He taught the Jews to repent.
3. He taught faith in a Christ to come.
4. His baptism did not add one to the church.

27. Matthew 16:15-18
He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?" Simon Peter answered and said, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."
Jesus answered and said to him, "Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it."

28. The Mission of John the Baptist
C. He was to turn Israel back to God.
1. It involved a baptism of repentance “for” or “unto” the remission of sins.
2. He taught the Jews to repent.
3. He taught faith in a Christ to come.
4. His baptism did not add one to the church.
5. Not one drop of John’s blood went toward the purchase price of Christ’s church.

29. Acts 20:28
"Therefore take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood."