Turn with me to Mark chapter 6.
As most of you know, we have been studying through Mark's Gospel,
and we've already seen some really, really remarkable things
! surrounding the life of Jesus Christ.
And he's been traveling, for the most part,
in and around a village called Capernaum.
It's a fishing village on the north shore of the Sea of Galilee.
We've seen him casting out demons, he's healed sick,
he's performed all kinds of miracles.
And we learned last week that he sent his disciples out in pairs.
So word of Jesus has been spreading very quickly all over this region.
Between Jesus and his closest followers,
they've been shaking things up in the area,
and word's begun to spread all over Galilee,
and indeed, even to the local Roman government officials,
as we see in this passage, a man named Herod.
And this is where we find ourselves in Mark chapter 6, verse 14.
And I have to warn you before we jump into this passage,
this is not a light-hearted passage.
Some of you have already mentioned this to me yesterday at the picnic,
and you mentioned how you're excited to see
how we're going to actually go through this passage.
It's not an easy passage by any means.
There's a lot of feel-good passages in God's Word,
and this is not one of those.
There's a lot of passages that we like to quote.
We like to put them around our homes for good reasons.
We like to post them on Twitter.
This one, however, is not likely to go on your Facebook status anytime soon.
So what we're about to read is one of the most gruesome displays of human depravity
that we find in the New Testament.
So if you're ready, if your stomach is ready, read along with me, starting in verse 14.
And Herodias had a grudge against him and wanted to put him to death,
but she could not.
For Herod feared John, knowing that he was a righteous and holy man, and he kept him safe.
When he heard of him, he was greatly perplexed, and yet he heard him gladly.
But an opportunity came when Herod, on his birthday, gave a banquet for his nobles and military commanders
and the leading men of Galilee.
For when Herodias' daughter came in and danced, she pleased Herod and his guests.
And the king said to the girl, Ask me for whatever you wish, and I will give it to you.
And he vowed to her, Whatever you ask me, I will give to you, up to half of my kingdom.
And she went and said to her mother, For what should I ask?
And she said, The head of John the Baptist.
And she immediately came in with haste to the king and asked, saying,
I want you to give me at once the head of John the Baptist on the platter.
And the king was exceedingly sorry.
But because of his oath and his guests, he did not want to break his word to her.
And immediately the king sent an executioner with orders to bring John's head.
And he went and beheaded him in the prison.
And brought his head on a platter and gave it to the girl.
And the girl gave it to her mother.
And the disciples heard of it.
They came and took his body and laid it in a tomb.
How's that for a happy ending?
For a good, light-hearted Sunday morning passage?
I wish I could say there was more to this passage.
But there really isn't.
And Nathan told me to stop there.
So I had to stop there.
In reality, I kind of feel like I should be preaching a funeral right now.
Rather than a Sunday morning sermon.
This is really the biblical version of Braveheart.
Instead of William Wallace, it's John the Baptizer.
Instead of Longshanks, it's Herod Antipas.
And instead of paving the way for Scotland's freedom,
it's John the Baptizer paving the way for Christ,
who would bring freedom from our sins.
Most of us know a good deal about John the Baptist.
He was essentially sent by God as a forerunner to Jesus.
He was born miraculously against all odds to an aging couple named Zachariah and Elizabeth,
who was the cousin of Mary, mother of Jesus.
One of the interesting things about John the Baptizer
is that he's included in many of the Messianic prophecies that we see in the Old Testament.
He was the one who was coming to prepare the way.
Someone who was coming and preaching in the wilderness.
And indeed, that's what he did.
He's described as a man who wore strange clothing.
He wore skins, and he looked much like an Old Testament prophet.
He ate locusts, amongst other strange things.
And people thought he was a little bit different.
People thought that there was something a little bit strange about John.
In the words of Christian rock legend DC Talk,
they have a verse in one of their most popular songs that many of you have probably heard.
In their verse, it says,
With skins on his back and hair on his face,
they thought he was crazed by a locust T8.
You see, the Pharisees tripped when they heard him speak
until the king took the head of this Jesus freak.
Wes, if we could do that.
Where's Wes?
If we can do that as a closing song today, that would be perfect.
His primary ministry centered around the Jordan River,
where he baptized followers and prophesied about the coming Messiah.
He was in an important, integral role of what Jesus did.
And as strange as he may have been to the people in that day,
what possibly made him the most unique
was that he had the privilege of baptizing the Son of God.
No one else can hold claim to that,
except for John the baptizer.
And Jesus also spoke well of him, saying,
Among those born of women,
there is not risen anyone greater than John the baptizer.
And this in and of itself should be enough for us
to pay attention to this man's life.
By the way, I made the distinction between Baptist and baptizer
because there's some apparent confusion in some circles
that John was the first Southern Baptist.
If you study Baptist history,
you see that Baptists don't come until well after the Reformation.
I know people, including people who are related to me,
that I won't mention their name
because this is going on the internet at some point.
But they believe that John the Baptist was the first Baptist.
And he was the first baptizer.
But in our context today,
Baptist means many different things,
including the title of the convention
to which we as a faith family belong.
But just to be clear,
John's no more a forerunner to our denomination than Paul,
or any of the apostles,
or than Jesus himself.
But he did play an important role
in preparing the way for Jesus,
the coming Messiah.
And we, as a church,
and as a denomination,
still baptize in the way that he baptized,
which is through immersion.
We hold that to be very important here in this faith family.
We see a stark contrast, however,
in the other important man in this passage,
named Herod.
We should not confuse him with his father,
who is Herod the Great,
who was responsible for the deaths of thousands of firstborns
around the time Jesus was born.
See, his father was trying to quelch
any type of prophecy that could have come true
in his time.
So he killed off many firstborns.
This is Herod the Great's son,
known as Herod Antipas.
And when Herod the Great died,
his kingdom was divided into four different parts.
And Herod Antipas was ruler of the Galilee region.
He therefore wasn't technically a king.
He was a tetrarch,
which literally means the ruler of a fourth part.
But although he wasn't a king,
he still made his followers call him king.
This is the kind of person he was.
And he was actually banished in 39 AD
for asking or requesting of Rome
that he be made a king.
So this is the type of egocentrism
that surrounds Herod's life.
Jesus, in contrast to what he says about John,
summed up the character of Herod Antipas
by once calling him a fox
in Luke 13, 32.
So Herod decides to take on a wife
named Herodias.
It's important to note here
that Herodias was Herod's
half-brother's daughter.
She was also,
to complicate the family tree even further,
she was also married
to one of Herod's brothers,
divorced Herod's brother,
in order to become Herod's wife.
So Herodias relates to him
as niece,
as sister-in-law,
and as wife.
In the Jewish culture,
that didn't bode very well.
It wasn't a good thing
for that type of thing to happen.
In fact, it was forbidden by the law.
And so straight shooting John,
preaching the gospel of righteousness
and the gospel of repentance,
tells them only what he finds
in his own law,
in his own truth text.
And he tells them,
in verse 18,
it's not lawful for a man
to marry his brother's wife.
And that John,
he was just so close-minded,
wasn't he?
Isn't that what people tell us
when we hold to our truth text?
I'm surprised that people are surprised
that we want to hold
to our truth document.
And that was certainly
the attitude of this royal couple
who decided to get married
against what John was teaching them
and preaching to them.
And this,
for very personal reasons,
Herodias nursed a grudge
against John.
She wanted to have him killed,
but she couldn't
because there was something
about John
and something interesting
happened.
When John was arrested
and was in the depths
of the dungeon,
Herod began to form
a relationship with John.
It's interesting.
I believe this text
really indicates to us
that Herod and John
were actually fairly close.
I don't know how much
they interacted,
but we see that they
interacted some.
We see that Herod
favored John
in some way.
And so,
in verse 20,
it says,
when he heard him,
he was greatly perplexed,
and yet he heard him gladly.
And it's safe to say
that John was a pretty direct person.
He didn't beat around the bush.
He told the gospel truth
as it was.
He was direct
and to the point.
It didn't matter who it was.
It didn't matter who
he was teaching to.
It didn't matter how much
it offended them.
He was going to say it.
And it says,
he feared John.
Why would a man
like Herod Antipas,
a man who esteems himself
as king,
though he isn't,
and wants all his followers
to call him king,
he's an egocentric type of person,
and why would he,
Herod,
be afraid of a man
like John the Baptist?
And I think that it has something
to do with John's righteousness.
In other words,
when you're living
in a state of unrighteousness
and you encounter
a righteous character,
there's something
intimidating about that.
And Herod distinctively
recognized John's
moral excellence.
And so Herod is perplexed
because he's uncomfortable
in his fear.
Yet Herod somehow
is drawn into
John's character.
And I think it's because
something about
righteous character
does one of two things
with those
who practice unrighteousness.
Either one,
they hate them.
They turn away from them
in bitterness
and hatred
and rejection
of that person.
We see this in Herodias
in this passage.
Or,
they have a sort of
reverent respect
for the person.
This is what we see
in Herod Antipas.
Herod feared John
because he recognized
something in him.
He recognized justice
and righteousness
and holiness.
And he admired a man
in whom he saw
those things.
He listened to John.
He continued to listen
to him preach gladly.
But the ultimate problem
with Herod
was that while he feared John,
he never quite looked
to John's master.
He never quite saw
Christ in him.
He never quite saw
God
in the person
of John the Baptist.
And John was a man
who was preaching
Christ as Messiah
and a message
of repentance.
But there was no repentance
in Herod's heart.
He was under
the dreadful sway
of sin.
And his heart
was hardened
by his own lust
for power,
for wealth,
and for all things
of this world.
This is the same man
who would later
mock the Savior
as he stood trial
before him.
I want you to see
the contrast
between these two men
in this passage.
One,
revered by Jesus,
preaching repentance.
He was a little strange.
Yes, indeed.
He was very strange.
But he was unashamed
by the message
that God called him
to preach.
His very character
shouts righteousness.
It proclaims truth.
He looked different
than the world
because he understood
that this world
was not his home.
He's the picture
of what God desires
is to be radically different
than the culture.
Not for his own sake,
but to glorify God
with his life.
Was John perfect?
There's no way.
He was still human.
But his mistakes
are certainly
not highlighted
in Scripture.
On the other hand,
we have a man
who is a picture
of the prodigal.
a man who
lived his life
lavishly,
squandering away
his life
for the sake
of no one
but himself.
He was a man
who slew a preacher
whom he respected.
And ultimately,
he lost his power
only to go down
in history,
known mostly
for his infamy
and not for anything
good.
He was a picture
of human depravity.
And he's only part
of the picture
of human depravity
in this text.
Because there's
a woman here
and her name
is Herodias.
And if there was
ever a black widow,
she was it.
She is the woman
your mom
warned you about.
Okay?
You would do well
to stay away
from this type
of woman.
She is conniving.
She's cruel.
She's the epitome
of evil.
And she harbored
hatred for John.
Not just a little
kind of
heartbreaking
type of hatred.
It was
horrible hatred
that leads
and just ate her
up on the inside.
And she had been
waiting for a moment
that she could kill
John the Baptist
or see him killed.
And so this is
what's happening
in this text.
Herod's party
is advancing
on into the evening.
And it wasn't
uncommon for people
to be drinking
heavily during
these types of parties.
He's invited
all the important
people
and all of Galilee
are here.
His military leaders
are here.
All kinds of people
are in this group,
this party that he's
got going on,
this feast.
And the party's
advancing on.
They're probably
getting a little bit
inebriated.
And the text says,
For when Herodias'
daughter came in
and danced,
she pleased
Herod
and his guests.
This, by the way,
was a type of
entertainment
that was set aside
for harlots
and prostitutes.
It was unheard
of for someone
of Herodias'
daughter's stature
and place in life
to do this type
of dance.
And I think it's
safe to say
this dance
was sensual.
There was something
sinful about
this dance.
And so Herodias
sends her
young daughter
in to dance
in front of
many men.
We don't know
how many are there,
but many men
who are possibly
intoxicated
to watch her
do a sensual
dance.
So this whole
thing,
this whole
scenario
is conceived
by sin.
And this is
exactly why
Herod liked it.
It was an
unusual thing.
It was unusual
to see someone
of nobility
dancing in this
way.
And his guests
were pleased
as well.
And Herod
falls right
into the trap.
And he offers
her anything
in this kingdom,
up to half
of the kingdom.
And so she
goes away,
the daughter
goes away,
leaving everybody
else to guess
what she might
ask for.
This is a
generous offer,
by the way.
This is an
offer that any
of the people
in that room
would have
loved to have
received.
And so they're
all wondering
what in the
world is going
to happen.
What in the
world is she
going to ask
for?
She goes
away,
and in
verse 24
she asks
her mother,
for what
should I
ask?
And she
said,
the head
of John
the Baptist.
And she
came in
immediately
with haste,
immediately
with haste,
to the king
and asked
saying,
I want you
to give
me at
once the
head of
John the
Baptist.
And in her
own little
evil conniving
way,
on a
platter.
mother,
like
daughter.
We find
suddenly that
Herod is
sober.
He didn't
want this to
happen.
He didn't
want this to
be her
request.
And he
is truly
distressed
here in
this passage.
I believe
the text
indicates that.
In verse 26
he says that
the king
was exceedingly
sorry.
The language
here indicates
a very deep
sorrow.
This word
perilupos
in the
Greek
means
surrounded
by sorrow.
And it's
only used
a handful
of times
in the
New Testament.
One being
when Jesus
was in the
Garden of
Gethsemane
about to
face an
arrest that
would ultimately
lead to
his death.
A time
when Jesus
would sweat
droplets of
blood.
He was
under such
distress.
Same word
used there
in the
Garden of
Gethsemane
as it is
here in
our text
this morning.
And so
I have no
doubt that
Herod was
indeed
sorrowful.
But what
was he going
to do?
What would
his friends
think if
they were
to go
back to
their areas
of nobility
and tell
everyone in
all the land
that Herod
is a man
that goes
back on
his promises?
And so
Herod began
to fall
into the
temptation
of being
afraid
of man.
The problem
was really
that Herod
had no
backbone.
He was
the ruler
of that
land.
He may
not have
been a
king,
but he
was the
ruler
of that
land.
And anything
that he
said
goes,
and he
could have
told her
anything
that he
wanted to,
including what
probably all
of us in here
are thinking,
and what maybe
most of us
would have
told her,
being people
of God's
word and
people who
are redeemed,
that girl,
that is
sick.
you shouldn't
be asking
for stuff
like that.
Young
girls are
supposed to
like dresses
and closets
full of
shoes or
wardrobes
full of
clothes or
jewelry.
She
asked for
the head
of John
the Baptist,
but Herod
buckles under
the pressure
and he
gives the
order to
do the
unthinkable.
And I
want you to
see something
here that
is pathetic
and astounding
at the same
time.
Because Herod's
conscience has
kind of
become to
be awakened
in a sense
through the
person of
John the
Baptist.
He had
had his
eyes open
or begun
to have
his eyes
open to
righteousness
or at
least begun
to respect
righteous
character.
He may
have even
begun to
consider some
of his own
depravity.
There was
a little
life and
then it
was all
crushed
because he
was afraid
of what
people might
think about
him.
You know
there are a
lot of
people today
that do
just the
same thing.
How many
people do
you know
that have
had their
eyes open
to eternal
things?
Maybe through
something that
you shared
with them?
Maybe through
something that
another believer
shared with
them?
Or maybe
they came
across a
Bible passage
and they
began to
understand
something about
their condition
of their
heart.
They began
to understand
something about
the sin
and the
debt that
they owe
to God
because of
this sin.
They become
aware that
they have a
deep-seated
problem with
sin and
maybe they
learned
something about
the atonement.
They began
to think about
it and then
it became
known to
their friends
that they
were thinking
on these
topics and
on these
issues.
And then
there was a
little smirk.
Or maybe
there was a
little sneer.
Or,
you a
Christian?
No way.
I
want to
have all
hope
crushed
from
beginning
to think
about it
and then
for them
to turn
away,
to never
return
again
to that
thought
process
simply
because
they're
concerned
about what
other
people think
about them.
If you
don't know
anybody like
this,
then you
can just
think about
our
politicians
today.
Over the
past 20
to 30
years.
This is
as if
they can't
make a
decision on
their own
without
taking a
poll or
without asking
or trying
to figure
out if
somebody's
going to
be offended
by their
stance.
And so
you see
politicians
who are
going against
their
biblical
faith.
Because
they don't
want to
take a
stance for
a biblical
marriage.
Or they
don't want
to take a
stance that
might lead
their polls
to drop.
If people
or will
the people
elect me if
I take a
stance on
this issue?
Will my
party agree
with me if
I don't
agree with
everything that
they hold
to you?
And this
tragic mentality
has worked
its way into
the Christian
life as
well where
born again
believers don't
truly live for
God.
They live for
fear of what
man might
say to
them.
And little
by little
they begin to
look more
and more
like the
world and
less and
less like
the redeemed.
They begin to
look more like
Herod and less
like John the
Baptizer.
And this
is what
happens when
we fear
people over
our great
sovereign
creator God.
And in my
counseling experience
one of the
greatest struggles
I see people
facing is this
very issue
that we're
talking about
here.
Where we
think too
much of
man and
too little
of God.
God being
the greatest
being in the
universe and
everything,
literally
everything in
the universe
having been
created for
His glory,
to glorify
Him.
We know
this from
Colossians 1
16,
all things
have been
created through
Him and
for Him.
He deserves
the affections
of our hearts,
but in our
minds,
in our hearts,
we often get it
backwards and we
tip the scales
the wrong way.
And God
becomes less than
man and we
fear man over
God.
Instead of God
being the center
of our affection,
the desire of
our hearts,
instead of us
being focused
on what other
people think
about us.
And well-meaning
believers,
whether they
realize it or
not,
are concerning
themselves more
with what people
think about them
than what God
thinks about them.
And this
mentality, by the
way, is
everywhere in our
society.
You see it in
our public
school systems
where principals
and teachers
will say things
like, you
know, we just
really like to
focus on high
positive self-esteem.
this might come
as a surprise
to some of us
in here, but
self-esteem is
an unbiblical
concept.
Scripture teaches
us to humble
ourselves before
the Lord, not
to esteem
ourselves.
In 1 Peter 5,
6 and James
4, 10, I
could give you
some more
references, but
I think two
should suffice
for this morning.
There's more
places that talk
about humbling
ourselves in
Scripture.
Scripture teaches
us that there's
nothing good about
us apart from
Christ.
What Scripture
does teach is
that our hearts
are wicked.
Our righteous
acts are as
filthy rags
before a holy
God.
According to
Isaiah 64,
Romans 3, 12
says, no one
does good, not
even one.
There's
absolutely
nothing
esteemable
about us
because of
our sin
condition.
So Kyle, are you
saying that we
should all walk
around with low
self-esteem?
Absolutely not.
On the contrary, I'm
saying that we
shouldn't esteem
ourselves at all.
This low self-esteem
is still focused on
the self and still
glorifying man
in the self.
And when you get
this concept, it'll
blow your mind
because what happens
is when we put
God as preeminent
in our lives
and in our hearts,
when we concern
ourselves about
Him and His
thoughts and His
desires, how we
esteem ourselves
becomes a non-issue.
It doesn't matter
if we have low
self-esteem or
high self-esteem,
we esteem Christ
and Christ alone.
So self-esteem,
no matter high or
low, it no longer
matters.
Whether other
people think about
you, it no longer
matters.
Whether you were
invited to the party
or not, it no
longer matters.
Whether people
make jeering
statements or
hiss or make
smart remarks about
your faith, it no
longer matters.
matters.
Because the only
thing that matters
is that Jesus
paid it all on
the cross for
your sins.
So that we may
be righteous in
Him.
Not of anything
that we can boast
about in and of
ourselves.
But if we are to
boast, it's to boast
in the sacrifice
that He paid.
That we are
righteous only
because of Him.
And that our
lives may shout
His glory and
His praise.
Proverbs puts it
best.
The fear of
man lays a
snare.
It entraps us.
But whoever
trusts the
Lord is safe.
Proverbs 29, 25.
And that is
just it.
If we fear
man, we live
in the self-entrapment
and the self-deception
of conceitedly
thinking that we
are somehow
important.
And we're not.
But Christ in us
is important.
And when we
place our trust
in Him and
His goodness
and we lean
on His
righteousness,
our identity
is no longer
wrapped up in
this world.
Our identity
is now wrapped
up in Christ.
And we
experience freedom
from this world.
It's a freedom,
by the way,
that Herod Antipas
would never know.
I don't know if
Herod slept well
that night.
I don't know if
he could have
slept well that
night.
Maybe he did,
maybe he didn't.
I wouldn't have
been able to
sleep well that
night if I had
done what he
did.
I don't know if
John ever crossed
his mind after
this time.
I think probably
he did.
I think probably
John's memory
slowly faded
from Herod.
And he probably
eventually thought,
well, what was
the big deal
about John
anyways and all
of his preaching
and all of his
righteousness?
Meanwhile,
word of Jesus
is being spread
all over Galilee.
Great miracles
have taken place.
Things are being
moved and shaken
up a bit in the
land.
He's commissioned
his apostles on
a missionary
journey.
And people are
being healed.
And word of Jesus
is beginning to
creep inside the
palace walls.
This is where we
get to in verse
14 through 16,
which introduce
our passage.
And it tells us
what happens.
In verse 14,
Herod,
heard of it
for Jesus'
name,
had become
known.
Some said,
John the Baptist
has been raised
from the dead.
And that's why
these miraculous
powers are at
work in him.
But others said,
he is Elijah.
And others said,
he is a prophet
like one of the
prophets of old.
But when Herod
heard of it,
he said,
John,
whom I beheaded,
has been
raised.
This language
is so graphic
here that this
I and this
passage should
stand out to
us.
John,
the man I
beheaded,
I did this.
It's on me.
And suddenly
he remembers
his evil deed
as though
he had buried
it away
and it had
risen back
up into
his mind
when he
hears about
Jesus.
Even though
this was not
the man,
Jesus was not
the man that
he beheaded.
His conscience
is bringing it
back to light
in his mind.
And you may
have experienced
something similar
to this,
where maybe
possibly you
did something
atrocious,
committed an
atrocious act
or a sin,
possibly even
before you
became a believer
in Jesus Christ
and something
happens in your
life.
You thought that
you had buried
it away,
you had buried
it deep
in the depths
of your heart
and you thought
that it was
over and you
didn't have to
think about that
anymore,
but then suddenly
something happens
in your life,
an event takes
place,
maybe you heard
a sermon,
maybe you had
a friend in
your life that
had something
similar happen
to them,
and something
all of a sudden
begins to come
up and you
remember this
deed that you
did in the
past.
And these
things happen
to us because
God gives us,
he has built
into us a
conscience to
know whether
we've done
right or wrong.
And when these
things happen,
it's God's way
of leading us
to repentance.
And so if you
have dealt
with sin,
then you're
going to have
these feelings
rise up from
time to time
until we deal
with these things.
And this is
what's going on
in Herod's
heart right
now.
He's feeling
a bit guilty
because of
what he's
done in
the past.
He hears
of the miracles
and the
righteousness of
Jesus and
falsely assumes
that it must
be John the
baptizer raised
from the dead.
And it
shouldn't come
to surprise
us that
Herod believes
that people
could be
raised from
the dead
because he
was not a
regenerate
believer.
He was
certainly not
repentant.
He likely
had little
contact with
his righteousness
people and
he had no
idea how to
deal with
this thing
that was
going on
in his
heart.
This
conviction
that was
going on
in his
heart.
And it
was tearing
him up
on the
inside.
And the
reality is
that Herod
needed a
new heart.
That only
comes through
the gospel
of Christ
and the
regenerate
heart of
a believer.
Therefore,
if anyone
is in
Christ,
he is a
new creation.
The old
has passed
and the
new has
come.
And so
we understand
his regeneration
and it
helps us to
understand our
sin for what
it really
is and it
helps us to
turn away
from that
sin and
to run
toward
righteousness.
But for
Herod,
it was not
so.
He had
little
understanding
of what
his depravity
meant.
And this
is demonstrated
no greater
than in the
last New
Testament
recording of
Herod Antipas
in Luke
23.
Starting in
verse 8,
it says,
when Herod
saw Jesus,
he was very
glad.
By the way,
this is when
Jesus is going
before Herod
in trial.
He's already
gone to see
Pontius Pilate,
sends him
back to
Herod,
finds out
Herod's in
this region.
So he
goes and
finds out
that he's
from Galilee
and sends
him on
to Herod.
So Herod's
glad of
this happening
for he had
long desired
to see
him.
Of course
he did.
He thinks
this might
be the
man he
murdered,
the man
he beheaded.
He thought
this man,
he'd heard
of his
miracles
and his
signs
and his
wonders
and of
course
he thought
that he
wanted to
see him
because he
had heard
about him
and he
was hoping
to see
some sign
done by
him.
Herod was
looking for
some sort
of spiritual
pleasure
in this
meeting with
Jesus,
maybe something
of a magic
show,
so to speak.
That's probably
how he was
viewing it at
least.
Verse 9,
so he
questioned
him at
some length
but he,
Jesus,
made no
answer.
The chief
priest and
the scribe
stood by
vehemently
accusing him
and Herod
with his
soldiers
treated him
with contempt
and mocked
him.
Then arraying
him with
splendid clothing,
he sent
him back
to Pilate.
You see,
Herod was
looking for
some sort
of spiritual
entertainment.
He was
hoping to
see some
sort of
sign in
Jesus,
but there
is no
repentance
here.
In fact,
Herod remained
in front of
the Son
of God
perfectly
dead
in his
heart.
Here,
Herod stands
before God
himself,
righteousness
incarnate,
absolute
perfection,
and there
is nothing,
there is
nothing going
on in his
heart that
day.
And what
might be
even more
terrifying,
even more
bone-chilling,
is that
Christ sees
nothing in
him.
He won't
even reply
to him.
The Son
of God
standing
before Herod
has nothing
to say to
him.
He is
spiritually
dead before
the Son
of God,
and it
is a
tragic
day.
God
tells us
in Ezekiel
33,
as surely
as I
live,
declares
the Sovereign
Lord,
I take
no pleasure
in the
death of
the wicked,
but rather
that they
turn from
their ways
and live.
There is
no rejoicing
going on in
heaven in
that moment.
You see,
it's possible
for someone
to stand
before the
Son of
God,
and for
nothing to
happen in
their hearts.
And I
think the
primary message
in our text
today is
twofold.
Kind of
two primary
messages going
on here.
First is
for non-believers,
and we
know that
you're here.
We know
that you're
among us.
In a room
this size,
there are
non-believers
here.
If Jesus
has been
moving in
your heart,
whether a
friend has
shared something
with you
recently,
whether you've
heard something
through a
sermon
recently,
or maybe
you've
been flipping
through
Scripture
at some
point
recently,
but maybe
you've
come to
see that
there's
a sin
problem
in your
life.
There's
a gap
between
you and
God.
And you've
come to
see that
Christ is
the answer
to that
sin
problem,
as the
perfect
Son of
God,
a sinless
human
sacrifice,
the only
sacrifice,
by the way,
that can
atone for
your sins.
The
application for
you this
morning is
to repent,
to turn
away from
your sin,
and to run
towards
righteousness.
He's already
completed the
work.
Christ has
already done
it.
He's
completed it.
It is
finished.
All you
have to do
is to repent
and to turn
away from
your sin
and believe.
There's a
stark message
for believers
this morning
as well.
I feel
like I
need to
remind you
in a sense
this morning
that you're
recipients
of the
greatest
blessing
known to
man.
You're
recipients
of this
blessing.
And God
didn't intend
for that
to be kept
secret.
Go
proclaim
Him to
the nations.
Go
live as
the redeemed
should live
which means
that we
go out
and we
proclaim
this
message.
We go
out
from
these
walls
and we
proclaim
Him
to
the
nations.
Do you
think
that John
the
baptizer
would have
made an
impact
if he
was afraid
of what
other
people
thought
about
him?
No,
he
wouldn't
have.
He
boldly
taught
truth.
He
boldly
preached
the
gospel.
He
wasn't
afraid
of who
it
was
or
how
he
might
offend
them.
Are
we
going to
be ridiculed
for our
faith?
Yes,
we will.
If we're
doing what
we're called
to do,
we're going
to be
ridiculed.
Are you
going to
be rejected?
Yes,
you're going
to be
rejected.
Are people
going to
hate you
because of
the message
that you
teach?
Yes,
people
will hate
you.
Jesus
said in
no uncertain
terms,
you'll be
hated by
all for
my name's
sake,
but the
one who
endures to
the end
will be
saved.
We should
not be
surprised
when there
are haters
and mockers.
What should
surprise us
is if we're
not experiencing
any sort
of persecution
or any sort
of resistance
at all
because it
probably means
we're not
doing a lot
for the
kingdom.
And so
we press
on through
the hate
and through
the persecution
because there
are some
who will
believe.
And so
it's time
for us
as we
walk away
from this
building
this morning,
it's time
for us to
go be
the church,
to be
great
commission
believers,
and to
go make
disciples
of all
nations,
baptizing
them in
the name
of the
Father,
the Son,
and the
Holy Spirit.
You see,
there's a
reason why
we call it
the great
commission
and not
the great
suggestion.
It's not
a suggestion
for us.
It is a
commission.
Christ has
commissioned us
all as
believers to
go and
preach the
gospel and
to make
disciples.
Let's go
be the
church.
You see,
we have to
make a
decision this
morning whether
we're going to
be individuals
and whether
we're going
to be a
church who
either sits
on the
sidelines or
whether we're
going to be
part of God's
redemptive history
and to go out
and proclaim
him to the
world.
So my hope is
that as you
walk out of this
building this
morning,
that you have
someone on your
heart,
at least one,
maybe many,
but at least one
person on your
heart that you
want to begin to
pray for and to
begin to boldly
teach the gospel.
And my prayer for
you is that as
the Spirit leads
you,
that you will
go and preach
gospel truth boldly
into their lives
this week and
next week and for
the rest of your
life as you go
out and live out
the gospel.
That's what John
did.
John has an
excellent example
of someone who
preaches boldly
in our lives.
Let's go and
preach gospel truth
boldly into North
Georgia and to the
ends of the earth.
Let's pray
together.