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Scripture

Peter

John 21:7-25

That disciple whom Jesus loved therefore said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his outer garment, for he was stripped for work, and threw himself into the sea. The other disciples came in the boat, dragging the net full of fish, for they were not far from the land, but about a hundred yards1 off.

When they got out on land, they saw a charcoal fire in place, with fish laid out on it, and bread. 10 Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish that you have just caught.” 11 So Simon Peter went aboard and hauled the net ashore, full of large fish, 153 of them. And although there were so many, the net was not torn. 12 Jesus said to them, “Come and have breakfast.” Now none of the disciples dared ask him, “Who are you?” They knew it was the Lord. 13 Jesus came and took the bread and gave it to them, and so with the fish. 14 This was now the third time that Jesus was revealed to the disciples after he was raised from the dead.

Jesus and Peter

15 When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Feed my lambs.” 16 He said to him a second time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Tend my sheep.” 17 He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” Peter was grieved because he said to him the third time, “Do you love me?” and he said to him, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep. 18 Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were young, you used to dress yourself and walk wherever you wanted, but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will dress you and carry you where you do not want to go.” 19 (This he said to show by what kind of death he was to glorify God.) And after saying this he said to him, “Follow me.”

Jesus and the Beloved Apostle

20 Peter turned and saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following them, the one who also had leaned back against him during the supper and had said, “Lord, who is it that is going to betray you?” 21 When Peter saw him, he said to Jesus, “Lord, what about this man?” 22 Jesus said to him, “If it is my will that he remain until I come, what is that to you? You follow me!” 23 So the saying spread abroad among the brothers2 that this disciple was not to die; yet Jesus did not say to him that he was not to die, but, “If it is my will that he remain until I come, what is that to you?”

24 This is the disciple who is bearing witness about these things, and who has written these things, and we know that his testimony is true.

25 Now there are also many other things that Jesus did. Were every one of them to be written, I suppose that the world itself could not contain the books that would be written.

Footnotes

[1] 21:8 Greek two hundred cubits; a cubit was about 18 inches or 45 centimeters

[2] 21:23 Or brothers and sisters

(ESV)

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Scripture

Peter

Matthew 26:30-75

Jesus Foretells Peter’s Denial

30 And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives. 31 Then Jesus said to them, “You will all fall away because of me this night. For it is written, ‘I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.’ 32 But after I am raised up, I will go before you to Galilee.” 33 Peter answered him, “Though they all fall away because of you, I will never fall away.” 34 Jesus said to him, “Truly, I tell you, this very night, before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times.” 35 Peter said to him, “Even if I must die with you, I will not deny you!” And all the disciples said the same.

Jesus Prays in Gethsemane

36 Then Jesus went with them to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to his disciples, “Sit here, while I go over there and pray.” 37 And taking with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, he began to be sorrowful and troubled. 38 Then he said to them, “My soul is very sorrowful, even to death; remain here, and watch1 with me.” 39 And going a little farther he fell on his face and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.” 40 And he came to the disciples and found them sleeping. And he said to Peter, “So, could you not watch with me one hour? 41 Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” 42 Again, for the second time, he went away and prayed, “My Father, if this cannot pass unless I drink it, your will be done.” 43 And again he came and found them sleeping, for their eyes were heavy. 44 So, leaving them again, he went away and prayed for the third time, saying the same words again. 45 Then he came to the disciples and said to them, “Sleep and take your rest later on.2 See, the hour is at hand, and the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. 46 Rise, let us be going; see, my betrayer is at hand.”

Betrayal and Arrest of Jesus

47 While he was still speaking, Judas came, one of the twelve, and with him a great crowd with swords and clubs, from the chief priests and the elders of the people. 48 Now the betrayer had given them a sign, saying, “The one I will kiss is the man; seize him.” 49 And he came up to Jesus at once and said, “Greetings, Rabbi!” And he kissed him. 50 Jesus said to him, “Friend, do what you came to do.”3 Then they came up and laid hands on Jesus and seized him. 51 And behold, one of those who were with Jesus stretched out his hand and drew his sword and struck the servant4 of the high priest and cut off his ear. 52 Then Jesus said to him, “Put your sword back into its place. For all who take the sword will perish by the sword. 53 Do you think that I cannot appeal to my Father, and he will at once send me more than twelve legions of angels? 54 But how then should the Scriptures be fulfilled, that it must be so?” 55 At that hour Jesus said to the crowds, “Have you come out as against a robber, with swords and clubs to capture me? Day after day I sat in the temple teaching, and you did not seize me. 56 But all this has taken place that the Scriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled.” Then all the disciples left him and fled.

Jesus Before Caiaphas and the Council

57 Then those who had seized Jesus led him to Caiaphas the high priest, where the scribes and the elders had gathered. 58 And Peter was following him at a distance, as far as the courtyard of the high priest, and going inside he sat with the guards to see the end. 59 Now the chief priests and the whole council5 were seeking false testimony against Jesus that they might put him to death, 60 but they found none, though many false witnesses came forward. At last two came forward 61 and said, “This man said, ‘I am able to destroy the temple of God, and to rebuild it in three days.’” 62 And the high priest stood up and said, “Have you no answer to make? What is it that these men testify against you?”6 63 But Jesus remained silent. And the high priest said to him, “I adjure you by the living God, tell us if you are the Christ, the Son of God.” 64 Jesus said to him, “You have said so. But I tell you, from now on you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power and coming on the clouds of heaven.” 65 Then the high priest tore his robes and said, “He has uttered blasphemy. What further witnesses do we need? You have now heard his blasphemy. 66 What is your judgment?” They answered, “He deserves death.” 67 Then they spit in his face and struck him. And some slapped him, 68 saying, “Prophesy to us, you Christ! Who is it that struck you?”

Peter Denies Jesus

69 Now Peter was sitting outside in the courtyard. And a servant girl came up to him and said, “You also were with Jesus the Galilean.” 70 But he denied it before them all, saying, “I do not know what you mean.” 71 And when he went out to the entrance, another servant girl saw him, and she said to the bystanders, “This man was with Jesus of Nazareth.” 72 And again he denied it with an oath: “I do not know the man.” 73 After a little while the bystanders came up and said to Peter, “Certainly you too are one of them, for your accent betrays you.” 74 Then he began to invoke a curse on himself and to swear, “I do not know the man.” And immediately the rooster crowed. 75 And Peter remembered the saying of Jesus, “Before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times.” And he went out and wept bitterly.

Footnotes

[1] 26:38 Or keep awake; also verses 40, 41

[2] 26:45 Or Are you still sleeping and taking your rest?

[3] 26:50 Or Friend, why are you here?

[4] 26:51 Or bondservant

[5] 26:59 Greek Sanhedrin

[6] 26:62 Or Have you no answer to what these men testify against you?

(ESV)

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Scripture

Peter

Matthew 16:13-28

Peter Confesses Jesus as the Christ

13 Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” 14 And they said, “Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” 15 He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” 16 Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” 17 And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. 18 And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock1 I will build my church, and the gates of hell2 shall not prevail against it. 19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed3 in heaven.” 20 Then he strictly charged the disciples to tell no one that he was the Christ.

Jesus Foretells His Death and Resurrection

21 From that time Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised. 22 And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying, “Far be it from you, Lord!4 This shall never happen to you.” 23 But he turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance5 to me. For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.”

Take Up Your Cross and Follow Jesus

24 Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 25 For whoever would save his life6 will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. 26 For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul? 27 For the Son of Man is going to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay each person according to what he has done. 28 Truly, I say to you, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom.”

Footnotes

[1] 16:18 The Greek words for Peter and rock sound similar

[2] 16:18 Greek the gates of Hades

[3] 16:19 Or shall have been bound . . . shall have been loosed

[4] 16:22 Or “[May God be] merciful to you, Lord!”

[5] 16:23 Greek stumbling block

[6] 16:25 The same Greek word can mean either soul or life, depending on the context; twice in this verse and twice in verse 26

(ESV)

Categories
Scripture

Peter

Matthew 14:25-33

25 And in the fourth watch of the night1 he came to them, walking on the sea. 26 But when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified, and said, “It is a ghost!” and they cried out in fear. 27 But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, “Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid.”

28 And Peter answered him, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” 29 He said, “Come.” So Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water and came to Jesus. 30 But when he saw the wind,2 he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out, “Lord, save me.” 31 Jesus immediately reached out his hand and took hold of him, saying to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” 32 And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased. 33 And those in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.”

Footnotes

[1] 14:25 That is, between 3 a.m. and 6 a.m.

[2] 14:30 Some manuscripts strong wind

(ESV)

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Scripture

Going Deeper

Going Deeper

John the Baptist (7.4.20)

John the Baptist is one of my favorites to study and look up to in scripture.  I pray today’s study is a true blessing for your spiritual life.

Who is John the Baptist?

John the Baptist lived the first thirty years of his life in the obscurity of the Judean desert. The story of his miraculous birth is told in Luke 1.

Read Luke 1:5-17.

Here is what the angel says about John the Baptist:

“… for he will be great before the Lord.”

“… he will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother’s womb.”

“… he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God.”

“… he will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready for the Lord a people prepared.”

Mark’s Gospel also begins with the testimony of John the Baptist.

Mark 1:1-3 The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. As it is written in Isaiah the prophet, “Behold, I send my messenger before your face, who will prepare your way, the voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight’”

So, John is the promised voice calling out and preparing the people for the Lord. He is the announcer that the Lord has come, but more than the angels who announced His birth. He is a special man, chosen by God, and led by the Holy Spirit, to ready God’s chosen people for the work of Christ to save them from their sins.

John 1:6-7 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness, to bear witness about the light, that all might believe through him.

John the Beloved (the author of the Gospel of John), unlike the other Gospel writers, is not concerned with the history of John the Baptist. Instead, he is concerned with the message of John the Baptist.

So, to John, it doesn’t matter where he lived; it doesn’t matter what he wore; it doesn’t matter that he wore a camel-hair coat; it doesn’t matter that he ate locusts and wild honey.

The history of this man, as remarkable and wonderful as it is, isn’t the focus of John. What matters is what he said. So that is what we must focus on.

We will see this as we dig into verse 19. The priest and the Levites are trying to focus on who John the Baptist is and all John is concerned about is what John the Baptist has to say. Look with me.

  1. Not the Christ

John 1:19-20 And this is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, “Who are you?” He confessed, and did not deny, but confessed, “I am not the Christ.”

Huge numbers of people are flocking to hear this strange preacher in the wilderness, and many have been baptized by him. A great stir has been made—so much so that many begin to wonder if he is the promised messiah. Remember that Christ means messiah. Here he says clearly, “I am not the Christ.” Why is it a big deal for him to say this so bluntly?

John’s ministry has become so big that it has drawn the attention of the big-time Jewish, religious leaders of the day—so much so that they have traveled to come and see what all the buzz was about. In order to understand why John was growing such a big following, we have to understand the culture at the time.

The Roman Empire is ruling over everything and dominating all of life. The Jewish world is already on edge and now they are hearing a great deal of talk about the coming of the messiah—the greatest news they could imagine—the promised one of God. People are ripe for a deliverer. John is testifying of one. He is preaching a new beginning. “Come, repent of your old ways and look to the messiah.”

What I love about John is this: here come the top guys in his game, the coolest cats in town, the guys by whom you want to be known and recognized. Instead of letting the fear of man sway him—instead of putting the light on himself—he is all about pointing to Jesus and he wants no credit.

This is why he says so bluntly, “I am not the Christ,” and leaves it at that. He doesn’t say, “Hey, check out my portfolio, let me show you how much I have accomplished.” Again, this is huge considering that, in these guys’ eyes, he would have had a lot to prove considering he isn’t an established or trained rabbi.

Now, realize that John is a nobody in the Jewish elite circles. He has not been trained in the schools of the rabbis. He has held no position of honor in the temple, and he is not identified with either the Pharisees, the Sadducees, or the Herodians.

So, from whom then, has he received his authority? Who has commissioned him to preach and call men to “repent?” By what authority does he baptize people?

What I love is that he boldly stands his ground. Why? Because he knows who sent him—the Holy God. He knows who he came to proclaim. But the inquiry continues.

  1. Not Elijah

John 1:21a And they asked him, “What then? Are you Elijah?” He said, “I am not.”

Now, why do they ask him if he is Elijah? Elijah had been carried into heaven almost 900 years earlier.

It was because Elijah didn’t die, but was carried into heaven, that people believed Elijah would come again to the earth. This commonly held belief is confirmed later by the disciples who answer Jesus’ inquiry about who they thought He was.

Matthew 16:13-14 Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” And they said, “Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”

Now, this expectation of the Jews to look for Elijah has a scriptural foundation. In the last verses of the Old Testament, it says:

Malachi 4:5-6 “Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes. And he will turn the hearts of fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the land with a decree of utter destruction.”

The problem is, this prophecy refers to the return to earth of Elijah to perform a ministry just before the second coming of Christ. What we will see is that the work of John the Baptist, just prior to the beginning of the ministry of Christ in His first coming, is remarkably similar.

This similarity is so much so that the word given to John’s father, in Luke 1:16-17, was “he [speaking of John] 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 turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready for the Lord a people prepared.”

The grilling and inquiry continue.

  1. Not the Prophet

John 1:21b “Are you the Prophet?” And he answered, “No.”

To whom is “the Prophet” a reference? The answer is the “prophet” predicted through Moses. This is a prediction recorded in Deuteronomy.

Deuteronomy 18:15 and 18 “The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your brothers—it is to him you shall listen” “I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their brothers. And I will put my words in his mouth, and he shall speak to them all that I command him.”

This is one of the many messianic prophecies given in Old Testament times which received its fulfillment in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ. So, again, John says, “No.”

The Voice

John 1:22-23 So they said to him, “Who are you? We need to give an answer to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?” He said, “I am the voice of one crying out in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way of the Lord,’ as the prophet Isaiah said.”

When John refers to himself as “the voice,” he is employing the very term which the Holy Spirit had used, seven hundred years earlier, when speaking through Isaiah the prophet.

Isaiah 40:3 A voice cries: “In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for our God.”

Stop and consider with me the difference, and yet the tie, between the title of Jesus as “the Word” and the title of John as “the voice.”

A.W. Pink points out something wonderful in its connection here:

“In the first place, the word exists (in the mind) before the voice articulates it. Such was the relation between Christ and His forerunner. It is true that John was the first to appear before the public eye; yet, as the ‘Word,’ Christ had existed from all eternity. Second, the voice is simply the vehicle or medium by which the word is expressed or made known. Such was John. The object of his mission and the purpose of his ministry was to bear witness to ‘the Word.’ Again, the voice is simply heard but not seen. John was not seeking to display himself. His work was to get men to listen to his God-given message in order that they might behold ‘the Lamb.’”

We need not miss how we can apply this to our own lives today. Like John, may we embrace our God-given call to testify to and share witness of Christ to others—to be his “voices.” Most importantly, though, that we be heard but not seen! In other words, that we make our lives about Him and not about us. When they hear us speak, or see us live, may we be like John and constantly point to Jesus. May our hearers and watchers see and know Jesus as a result of their time spent around us.

Another great point is this: once the voice or the testimony goes silent, it is the word that endures. The word endures after the voice is silent. 

May this be true of us, also—that long after we have left the scene, or even this world, the Word, Jesus Christ, is the one people remember. If you forget who I, Joshua Kirstine, am, but as a result of my life, testimony, preaching, and influence, you know, walk with, and enjoy Jesus, praise be to God. When approached to speak about what I have done, I want my answer to point to all that Jesus has done. To Him be the glory. To Him be the fame.

So, when John says that he is the voice, he is saying, “It is my great privilege to point to Jesus.”

John is essentially saying, “I am just a man who has been called to point to the One in the spotlight. I am just one voice in a big land that is very lost saying, ‘Get ready. The messiah is coming; hope is coming; the one that can save us from ourselves, our fleeting pursuit of our fame, and the lie we have lived in for far too long is coming—freedom is coming!’”

He is saying: I am just a little, tiny, galactic nobody of a man; the one who is coming, the one for whom I live and to whom I point—He is the holy God! He is everything, and I am not. Please don’t mistake me for Him.

John is saying, “My name is, ‘I am not,’ but you are looking for ‘I am.’”

Jesus First

The inquisition, and challenging of John’s authority to baptize, continues.

John 1:24-28 (Now they had been sent from the Pharisees.) They asked him, “Then why are you baptizing, if you are neither the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?” John answered them, “I baptize with water, but among you stands one you do not know, even he who comes after me, the strap of whose sandal I am not worthy to untie.” These things took place in Bethany across the Jordan, where John was baptizing.

Do you see what John does in this answer? He doesn’t engage with them about his merits to practice water baptism. Instead, he confirms that he does, indeed, practice water baptism, but he makes it clear that the formality, or religious practice, of baptism is not the issue.

The issue is Christ. The most important topic is Jesus, and who Jesus is to them. He declares that they do not know the one who stands among them—the one whom he has been sent to point to and announce, the one who will change everything, the only one through whom one can have new life—Jesus Christ.

Here is another big take away for us today: we, the body of Christ, are often guilty of allowing the religious world, and the secular world who do not know Jesus personally, to argue and debate over secondary issues—about form and function, or secondary doctrines—when the doctrine that brings new life is ignored or set aside.

These people claim Jesus, but they know Him not! We must, first and foremost, talk about Jesus.

I watched an interview once with a prominent pastor who was being interviewed on a TV show. He was being grilled about what he thought on one issue after another, but the pastor simply said, “What we must first talk about is who is Jesus and who is Jesus in your life?”

Why is this so important? Because, until one has new life in Christ and his heart is spiritually discerned, he cannot obey God’s law. The word of God, and the ways of the Christian, will be folly to him. So, to turn to discussions of secondary issues, is to talk about something he has no power, or will, to obey—not until God has given him new birth, a new heart, and a trust in Christ as Lord and Savior of his life. And so, because Jesus must come first, John doesn’t get caught up in the secondary issues. He keeps the focus, first and foremost, on Christ.

Humbly Living for Him

Next, John says, “This one I speak of, the one whom you do not know, is so important and big that, ‘even he who comes after me, the strap of whose sandal I am not worthy to untie.’ Even though he is physically younger than I; even though I am his elder, I am not worthy to do the work of the lowest slave and untie his sandals.”

Remember John 1:15 John bore witness about him, and cried out, “This is he of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me ranks before me, because he was before me.’”

John knows that even though Jesus was born after him, He was already in the story long before him. Why? Because, as we have already covered, Jesus is eternal. John knows that Jesus is the eternal Son of God. Jesus is so vast, and worthy, and magnificent, that John is not even worthy to untie His sandals.

We have to get this, too! We have to start seeing what John saw so clearly—this thing called life, that you and I do every day, is not for all the stuff for which we typically do life.

Hear this from me today: In recognizing our place in the shadow of the Lord Jesus, we should feel humbled and not humiliated. Recognizing who Christ is, compared to ourselves, doesn’t mean we are to wither into a hole and feel lonely, miserable, unloved, and down.

John doesn’t do that; he joyfully lives life, even though he has a right view of who he is in comparison to Jesus.

Let’s think about this for a moment:

John has many reasons to proclaim that he is someone important. He is no ordinary man. He is the key subject of Old Testament prophecy, the son of a priest, born as the result of the direct intervention of God’s power. He has been filled with the Holy Spirit from his mother’s womb, engaged in a ministry, which has drawn great multitudes unto himself. And yet, John understands, rightly, who Jesus is and, therefore, who he is in His shadow. In the shadow of the holy and divine, he is not even worthy to hold His sandals at the door.

The question for us is: what else, what other stuff, what little waste-of-time trophy or personal glory, do we make our lives about instead of Jesus?

No matter where you are with God today, you have to hear the massive revelation this is to our everyday lives. You have to see that Jesus is what your entire existence is about—why you breathe, why you go to school, why you work, why you parent, why you date, why you eat and drink, why you do anything.

We are to live, and lead, like John did, making a big impact on the things we do and the people we are around, but at the same time realizing every step of the way that, when we accomplish great things or taste success, we do so knowing that God has been on the scene a long time, and He is the source for our vision, giftedness, opportunity, creativity, energy, and breath.

It is for His glory, not our own, that we do good things and we succeed!

John says that he is not even worthy to untie His filthy sandals. You have to understand what a lowly task it was, in that day, to even touch someone’s sandals—covered in feces, filth, and grime. To do this task was to interact with nothing you would ever want to touch with your bare hands, and John says he is not even worthy to do that job.

Now, this acknowledgement is either a recognition of how lowly he is or how high the person is of whom he speaks. In this case, I believe it is both. John understands how low he is in the towering shadow of the Son of God! John knows who he isn’t and who God is.

Do you get this in your life? If you say you get it, does your life truly represent this fact? One of the greatest blessings we can give each other is to model this for each other. When the world sees us getting low and serving others, may they see us pointing to Jesus who humbles the proud and lifts up the downtrodden.

There is a lot we can learn from John the Baptist. This is just a taste. I pray it is a helpful and inspiring look at how we can better live humbly for our King.

By His grace and for His glory,

-Shepherd

Soldiers for Jesus MC