The Cooling Stream

John the Baptist did not preach to build up his name and reputation. He preached to point the people to the Lord Jesus Christ.

The Message Of A Humble Servant (7). When John the Baptist began to talk about Jesus, He became very humble. He told the people that compared to the Lord Jesus Christ, he was a nobody! He wasn’t even worthy to do the job of the lowest household slave. That is a humility that we must have.

People often compare themselves to the wrong standard. We often compare ourselves with someone who lives worse than we do. And we think we are not too bad. But if we would honestly compare our lives to Jesus, we would see how bad we really are.

When John the Baptist saw Jesus, He saw how needy he was! When He saw Jesus, he saw that he was nothing and Jesus was everything. That is why He was willing to step aside so that Jesus might shine in him (John 3:30).

John the Baptist magnified Jesus! He knew that if the people could just see Jesus, they would see themselves as they really were. They would then see their need of Jesus. They would then want Him to be their Savior and Lord.

That’s the message people need today! If they can see Jesus, they would desire to humble themselves before Him. They would bow to Him in salvation, surrender and service.

The Message Of A Holy Savior (8). John the Baptist told the people that when Jesus came, He would do a spiritual work in their hearts. He was using a material element, water, to baptize their bodies. But Jesus would use a spiritual element, the Holy Spirit, to baptize their souls. He was taking them and placing them under the water in a symbol of their repentance. But Jesus would take them and wash their sins away in His blood and give them a new life.

John the Baptist was pointing the people to a Savior Who could save their souls, forgive their sins and change their lives.

If we will come to Jesus and repent of our sins and call on Him by faith, He will save our soul, forgive our sins and change our lives.