Our Big Idea

God fulfills His word by sending John to prepare the way for the Messiah.

3 Parts

1) 1-3 The Prophecy of John
2) 4-6 The Preparation of John
3) 7-8 The Proclamation of John

“Let believers cling to this doctrine with jealous watchfulness.
With it, they stand upon a rock. Without it, they have nothing solid beneath their feet. Our hearts are weak, and our sins are many. We need a Redeemer who is able to save to the uttermost and deliver from the wrath to come. We have such a redeemer in Jesus Christ. He is “the Mighty God”. (Isaiah 9:6)”

J.C. Ryle Expository Thoughts on the Gospels

“The idea of preparing the way of the LORD is a word picture because the real preparation must take place in our hearts. Building a road is very much like the preparation God must do in our hearts. They are both expensive, they both must deal with many different problems and environments, and they both take an expert engineer.”

David Guzik

3 Parts

1) 1-3 The Prophecy of John
2) 4-6 The Preparation of John

“The “wilderness” where John ministered is the rugged wasteland along the western shore of the Dead Sea. John was telling the people symbolically that they were in a “spiritual wilderness” far worse than the physical wilderness that their ancestors had endured for forty years. John called the people to leave
their spiritual wilderness, trust their “Joshua” (Jesus), and enter into their inheritance."

Warren Wiersbe

“John’s ministry represents a fulfillment of the promise of a new exodus in which Israel is delivered from the wilderness, and, so to speak, enters in the river Jordan again as in (Joshua 3:1-4:24) to
receive God’s promises of end-time salvation. God was working in the people’s hearts, calling them to turn back to himself in preparation for the coming Messiah."

Hans F. Bayer

3 Parts

1) 1-3 The Prophecy of John
2) 4-6 The Preparation of John
3) 7-8 The Proclamation of John