Revival – To Live Again (Part Twenty Three)

Biblical Revivals and Awakenings

So far in our series we’ve looked at thirty-four examples of revival from the Old Testament. You can read the series in four free eBooks that we’ve linked to at the end of this study. Understanding how God worked with His people in the Old Testament will help you understand what He did centuries later in the New Testament.

While the Old Testament covers a period of thousands of years (Adam to Nehemiah and Malachi), the New Testament covers about a hundred years of history (birth of Jesus to death of the Apostle John). However, don’t let that fool you. What God did in the New Testament period was the culmination of everything we read about in the Old Testament. The Old points to the New, while the New points back to the Old. This is God’s Story.

The Message

Messengers bring messages, so what message did John the Baptist bring? God sent Him to prepare the way, but how?

First, John looked and sounded like a prophet. Though God’s people had not seen a prophet for hundreds of years, they recognized John and came to him to confess their sins and be baptized –

Now John himself was clothed in camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist; and his food was locusts and wild honey. Matthew 3:4

Now John was clothed with camel’s hair and with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey. Mark 1:6

John’s message was clearly that of a prophet of God –

In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, and saying, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand! Matthew 3:1-2

And he went into all the region around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the remission of sins. Luke 3:3

As we saw in the revivals of the Old Testament, God’s prophets preached repentance of sins. God’s people must agree with God about their sinfulness, repent of their sins, and confess their sins. That was the message of John the Baptist and many of the people responded by repenting and confessing their sins –

Then Jerusalem, all Judea, and all the region around the Jordan went out to him and were baptized by him in the Jordan, confessing their sins. Matthew 3:5-6

Then he said to the multitudes that came out to be baptized by him, ‘Brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance, and do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I say to you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones. And even now the ax is laid to the root of the trees. Therefore every tree which does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.’ So the people asked him, saying, ‘What shall we do then?’ He answered and said to them, ‘He who has two tunics, let him give to him who has none; and he who has food, let him do likewise.’ Then tax collectors also came to be baptized, and said to him, ‘Teacher, what shall we do?’ And he said to them, ‘Collect no more than what is appointed for you.’ Likewise the soldiers asked him, saying, ‘And what shall we do?’ So he said to them, ‘Do not intimidate anyone or accuse falsely, and be content with your wages. Luke 3:7-14

John also prophesied to the Jewish religious leaders who came out to him. In addition to calling on them to repent, John also told them about the One who would come after him. Remember, that Malachi’s prophecy said the messenger would prepare the way of the Lord, “Even the Messenger of the covenant, In whom you delight.” Malachi also wrote –

But who can endure the day of His coming? And who can stand when He appears? For He is like a refiner’s fire And like launderers’ soap. He will sit as a refiner and a purifier of silver; He will purify the sons of Levi, And purge them as gold and silver,
That they may offer to the Lord An offering in righteousness. Malachi 3:2-3

We see some of that in John’s prophecy –

But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, ‘Brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance, and do not think to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I say to you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones. And even now the ax is laid to the root of the trees. Therefore every tree which does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clean out His threshing floor, and gather His wheat into the barn; but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire. Matthew 3:7-12

Revival Beginnings

The number of people who went to John to confess their sins and be baptized probably numbered in the thousands, though we’re not told an exact number. What we do know is that “Jerusalem, all Judea, and all the region around the Jordan” went out to John to be baptized in the Jordan River. Their response had the beginning movements of what we would call revival today.

After centuries of “silence,” God was once again bringing life to His people. He began with the “messenger,” followed by the “Messenger,” just as Malachi prophesied. John the Baptist prepared the way for Jesus, the Messenger of the covenant.

There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. This man came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all through him might believe. He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light. That was the true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world. John 3:6-9

Some of the people wondered if John the Baptist was the Christ, the Messiah. John was quick to let them know he was not –

Now 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.’ And they asked him, ‘What then? Are you Elijah?’ He said, ‘I am not.’ ‘Are you the Prophet?’ And he answered, ‘No.’ Then they said to him, ‘Who are you, that we may give an answer to those who sent us? What do you say about yourself?’ He said: ‘I am ‘The voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Make straight the way of the Lord,’ as the prophet Isaiah said.’ Now those who were sent were from the Pharisees. And they asked him, saying, ‘Why then do you baptize if you are not the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?’ John answered them, saying, ‘I baptize with water, but there stands One among you whom you do not know. It is He who, coming after me, is preferred before me, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to loose.’ These things were done in Bethabara beyond the Jordan, where John was baptizing. John 1:19-28

Though John didn’t know it, preparing the way would include baptizing the Messenger. Jesus, the Son of God, was going to identify with His people. He had no sins to confess, but He was going to die for the sins of His people.

Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan to be baptized by him. And John tried to prevent Him, saying, ‘I need to be baptized by You, and are You coming to me?’ But Jesus answered and said to him, ‘Permit it to be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.’ Then he allowed Him. When He had been baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon Him. And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, ‘This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.’ Matthew 3:13-17

It came to pass in those days that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, and was baptized by John in the Jordan. And immediately, coming up from the water, He saw the heavens parting and the Spirit descending upon Him like a dove. Then a voice came from heaven, ‘You are My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Mark 1:9-11

When all the people were baptized, it came to pass that Jesus also was baptized; and while He prayed, the heaven was opened. And the Holy Spirit descended in bodily form like a dove upon Him, and a voice came from heaven which said, ‘You are My beloved Son; in You I am well pleased.’ Luke 3:21-22

The words John spoke when He saw Jesus coming toward Him for baptism, and the words that followed His baptism, are testimony to the reason God sent His Son from Heaven to earth –

The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, ‘Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! This is He of whom I said, ‘After me comes a Man who is preferred before me, for He was before me.’ I did not know Him; but that He should be revealed to Israel, therefore I came baptizing with water.’ And John bore witness, saying, ‘I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and He remained upon Him. I did not know Him, but He who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘Upon whom you see the Spirit descending, and remaining on Him, this is He who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’ And I have seen and testified that this is the Son of God. John 1:29-34

Here we have the first mention of Jesus being “The Lamb of God.” It’s mentioned four times in the New Testament (John 1:29, 36; Revelation 5:6; 7:10). It reminds us of the wonderful words of Abraham to his son Isaac – “And Abraham said, “My son, God will provide for Himself the lamb for a burnt offering” (Genesis 22:8). Jesus Christ, the Son of God, offered Himself as the Lamb who would take away the sins of the world. Jesus is the Passover Lamb of Israel –

Then Moses called for all the elders of Israel and said to them, ‘Pick out and take lambs for yourselves according to your families, and kill the Passover lamb. Exodus 12:21

Next Time

John the Baptist prepared the way for the Lord Jesus, the Messenger of the covenant. How will God use His Son to revive His people? We’ll look at that in the next part of our special series, Revival – To Live Again.

You can download a free eBook of the first six parts of this series to share with family and friends. Please click here for the PDF eBook.

Here is the eBook for the parts seven through twelve of this series. Please click here for the PDF eBook.

Here is the eBook for the parts thirteen through sixteen of this series. Please click here for the PDF eBook.

Here is the eBook for the parts seventeen through twenty-one of this series. Please click here for the PDF eBook.

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Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

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