Lk3,15- People are thinking - is John the Christ?
> John was so holy and righteous, that people felt: Like this, only Christ could be. No Miracles. Just straight words. Real practical help for life. On fire for God's dream. Radical personal life. No theory about God but pure life, lived and shared about.
John answers them ALL:
> He is not the Christ. He makes it clear.
I baptise you with water.
> How much does it need to baptise someone with water? Did anybody do it like he did it before. Did for anybody else, people come out to the desert to be baptised? How great was he, and in what a great manner he was living!
but
> No - he never saw Christ in action. Maybe never saw a miracle from Jesus. He just knew the promises. He just knew the word of God. And he believed it. So much, that he preache so intense but also, that he never lost the understanding, that even he was now so effective, there is coming one, way-more then he is, in any area of life you can think of - Gods only Son.
John was a very strong believer and hoped and dreamed and desired ...
one more powerful than i will come
> So we can only imagine how powerful Jesus was. John was so intense and so straight forward and so  incredible passionate  - What could possibly top that? Why do i always have a picture of Jesus like a soft hippie? At least for a long time in my life - the fact of the powerful Jesus was not building up my believer life. So sad, missed a lot of time to develop. Jesus must have ben incredible powerful. And this powerful appearance was a reality of his life on earth. I am following him to learn from him. This needs to become a reality in my life as well. No one would say John was not powerful. Now he was it very much and no one would say it was unspiritual. So i need to become a powerful, spiritual person. Jesus was it even more.
the things of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie
> Now this Jesus kneeled down and cleaned the feet's of all of his disciples. John felt unworthy to do something on the sandals of Jesus. Jesus even cleaned the feet of us. The all powerful person Jesus was serving - even serving like a slave.
He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.
> He has so much more to offer then every body else ever offered and gave. Jesus did not hold back his power. In fact - he gave us all his power. It is fantastic. It is a power in which i am able to do even the work of a slave. In the same time, i am able to challenge people like John did. I can give. I can preach. I can love - like Jesus.
His winnowing fork is in his hand to clear his threshing-floor and to gather the wheat into his barn, but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.
> Jesus will be so effective. What he does will have not only a effect for this time, i am living here on earth. But he will have a effect on me for eternity. The power of what Jesus does goes on for ever.
And with many other word John exhorted the people
> John challenged to people. He challenged their life, thinking etc. He preached a lot! He was ongoing sharing wisdom. He had to be full of God's word in order to share it all so powerfully. It had to be all on and in his heart!
and preached the good news to them.
> It was challenging - but it is good news.
Challenging it is, because the world is so powerful and effective in a negative way on me. Good news it is - i think - because it is the way out of the prison of sin in to the freedom in Christ, the freedom of holiness, the freedom of being able to love, the freedom of being loved by God all the time, the freedom of being taken car of all the time, the freedom of being connected with God, living as holy Spirit inside of me...
It is not easy to leave the worldly life and start the life of a believer and follower - therefor the message is in many areas very challenging. It is a warning. It is a wake up call for many times.
If i want to be a helpful preacher, i have to challenge and wake up the audience. They are sleeping in the world, deceived by it, not aware of the danger, lulled by some cheap addicting feelings of sinful lifestyle.
A preaching has to be a weak up call! Powerful. Passionate. Clear to the point.
Thank you God, that i can learn that now!
But then also John rebuked Herod the tetrarch because of Herodias,
> How powerful was he, that even Herod came and listened. When Herod came to listen, John saw him. He was not only friendly to him[thanks for coming in to my class - what a honor to have the king listening to me ...]. But he was also very clear and fast - not waiting. Just telling him the truth. Because, Herod lived like a drunk guy, on his way driving his car though a Kindergarden. John was the only trying to stop him from doing things, Herod will regret ones for ever!
How much love and compassion John had for this corrupt guy Herod.
His brother's wife, and all the other evil things he had done,
> Herod was not easy to love - a man doing a lot of evil things. But imagine John would stop him and lead him to repentance. How blessed would the country be. How blessed would the eternity of Herod be. How much love in John - but also, i guess - HOW MUCH VISION FOR HEROD.
Herod added this to them all:
> But Herod did not stop doing bad things. Even he had probably the best human preacher in front of him, he did not let himself be moved. Certain people just don't want to stop and repent. How ever the message is.
He locked John up in prison.
> Usually they quickly find ways to shut down the good influence in their life.
John was so powerful. He had to be thrown into prison.
The only thing John did: He spoke and lived holy. My word can be so powerful. They can have the same effect like action. Maybe i can say: Johns word were as powerful as a crime.
What i see
Jesus was more powerful then John. John just had words and water. He bapized people. He preached to people. It was clear cut to the point. ...
I learned about the goal of a sermon. About the life behind a sermon. About the listeners. About who they are and what they need to hear. In order of the intensity of the sermons of John, i just can see how powerful the world really is and how much power in content and in the life of the preacher needs to be in order to be the audible needed voice of God! To be a audible voice in the great noise of the world, i need greater love.
I know, that God wants to help me and grow me and use me as much as possible.
It is in fact so new to me what i found today and yesterday. Thank you God!