Jesus said, “I tell you, among those born of women NONE IS GREATER THAN JOHN.” (Luke 7:28)
As the father of John the Baptist was serving his Temple duty, an angel of the Lord appeared to him, “The angel said to Zechariah, “Elizabeth will bear you a son, you shall call his name John. And you will have joy and gladness, and MANY WILL REJOICE at his birth, for he will be great before the Lord…he will be FILLED WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT, (when Mary who was pregnant with Jesus, came to visit, John leaped in Elizabeth’s womb) from his mother’s womb. And HE WILL TURN MANY of the children of Israel TO THE LORD their God, and he will go before him IN THE SPIRIT AND POWER OF ELIJAH, to MAKE READY FOR THE LORD A PEOPLE PREPARED.” (Luke 1:13-17) John the Baptist “Bridged the Gap” by baptizing and introducing the Son of God, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29)
Isaiah says this about John the Baptist, “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.” (Isaiah 40:3-5) Who is the, “glory of the Lord?” Why, it is Jesus! That’s what makes John so great! He is revealing the “NEW TESTIMONY” to us, the new way man can relate to God! By having a personal relationship with the “SON OF GOD” and be FORGIVEN of their sins and becoming a “NEW CREATION in Christ” (2 Corinthians 5:17) “…we know that our old self was crucified with Him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be SLAVES TO SIN…” (Romans 6:6) “The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—HEIRS OF GOD and JOINT HEIRS WITH CHRIST.” (Romans 8:16-17)
Then Jesus declares this about John, “Yet the one who is LEAST IN THE KINGDOM OF GOD is greater than he.” (Luke 7:28)
Your Personal Pastor -Bill Stockham