by Josh Fennell
The Restoration Herald - Feb 2025
God calls us to be like John and to have the courage to speak the truth with boldness. However, we also must factor in what Peter says and speak with meekness and fear (1 Peter 3:15). It is not the job of the Christian to force obedience, it is the job of the Christian to be obedient regardless of what everyone else does. This is why Jesus uses John as the example. He was a man who went against the grain in the societal norms. A man who ate foods which were considered clean, but certainly not ordinary. He wore clothing that was reserved for the poorest of people, but John was rich beyond measure, for the relationship he had with the Lord was stronger than those who claimed to represent God as religious leaders.
The Jewish religious leaders spoke the part, but the word of God did not penetrate their hearts. They were, as Jesus called them in Matthew 23, whitewashed tombs. On the outside, they made themselves look like someone who was religious, but, internally, they were dead. The word of God had become nothing to them. They knew about God, but did not know Him intimately. They did not follow God in the things that mattered. John, however was different. He did not back down simply because people did not like him. He was more concerned with what God thought, than what people thought about him.
We see this characteristic in John when representatives came to him inquiring of the commotion that John was making in Jerusalem. His response was one that would be considered brash by most, but necessary, nonetheless. Matthew 3:7, “But when He saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to His baptism, He said to them, ‘Brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?’”
Verses 18-19 — They had not sought out John to know the message, but only what John was doing. Religiosity can create the mindset of rightness without the desire for holiness. This was the mindset of the people who would go and hear John preach. Those who had nothing to say would accuse him of having a demon. They did the same thing to Jesus, for He was considered a drunkard and sinner because of the company He kept. Yet, as we know, none of these accusations were true.
Verses 20-24 — God does not want us to be cowards who fold when things get tough. One of the great promises comes from the author of Hebrews, when he says, “Therefore since we are surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race set before us” (Hebrews 12:1). It takes courage to stand up to those who may not want to hear the truth but need to hear the truth.
That is the point Jesus makes in the closing remarks of this passage for today. He asks them to look at all these different places that were destroyed by God because of their sin. Jesus then asks them to consider that if the people in those ancient cities knew what the people now knew, the citizens of those places would have repented long ago. The issue is not the message that is being delivered, it is the heart that is receiving it. If people do not want to listen, that is on them. However, that does not mean that we can or should shy away from the truth.
Look at the example of John and what he brings. Even in the face of certain death, he spoke boldly about the union of Herod and Herodias. It takes strength to stand up and face those who might hate you and tell them you love them. It takes an iron will to stand up and proclaim the good news to hostile people. We are not called to be quiet. We are called to speak the truth in love with boldness. If John, a man who never got to see the realization of the work he was sent to do come to fruition can do it, so can we. Do not fear, but stand up, stand up for Jesus!
Conclusion: Are there situations where we fail to show the boldness of John and to stand up for the faith? What can we do to be more like John?
Some of the comments you hear on TV, social media, radio, etc., centers around this thought, “God saved President Trump’s life.” If that is true, why didn’t God save the life of Corey Comperatore — the fireman who was assassinated by the rogue gunman? When I hear the statement, “God saved Trump’s life/turned his head” my mind immediately goes to the wife and children of Comperatore and the other injured victims. What must they think? Was President Trump’s life more important than their injured or lost lives? No, of course not.
Let us look at the subject of interpreting providence, and what do we mean by providence? Providence is that which is directly influenced and affected by the hand of God. There are three reasons why events happen. 1) God causes them. 2) Nature affects them. 3) The freewill choices of people. All events can be categorized under these three causes.
So, after January 20, 2025, we are in anticipation of many things we have been promised by the incoming president. Reducing prices and inflation. Closing our borders. Rolling back DEI, LGBTQ. On transgender rights he would end “boys in girls’ sports,” a practice he insists, is widespread. But his policies go well beyond standard applause lines from his rally speeches. Among other ideas, Trump would roll back the Biden administration’s policy of extending Title IX civil rights protections to transgender students, and he would ask Congress to require that only two genders can be recognized at birth. Reductions in burdensome regulations. Targeting the elimination of the federal involvement in our nation’s education. Eliminating the green new deal. Improving the defense of our country.
Sounds great, doesn’t it? Well, as much as these things sound good and make us feel better about the direction of our country they are not enough. While the new administration may be able to improve our physical life, our society still has a spiritual problem. As described in Romans 1:21-32 “For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their reasonings, and their senseless hearts were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools, and they exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible mankind, of birds, four-footed animals, and crawling creatures.
Christian apologists have long said that the three greatest miracles of the Christian faith are the creation of the universe, the incarnation of Jesus Christ, and His bodily resurrection from the dead. To these a fourth awesome miracle could be added—fulfilled Bible prophecy.