I have great respect for John the Baptist (who really was a Presbyterian, you know). But, anyway, John strikes me as a valiant fellow. No, I’m not talking about the preaching that led to his head being cut off. That, of course, has to have top priority in spinal preaching.

No, what I’m interested in is the fact that in spite of the prediction of Malachi that the “great and awesome day of the Lord” would come, and his sure knowledge that the woodsman would use his axe, and the farmer would toss his grain in the air and burn the chaff, he went on preaching to win as many as possible before it all went up in flames.

That’s tough preaching.

Preacher, how would you like to preach to a motley congregation that you knew beforehand was about to be massacred by a crazy madman with an Uzzi and lots of ammo? It’d be tough, wouldn’t it. You’d sweat your heart out to get them to believe, wouldn’t you? Or would you head for the hills before the bullets started flying? Well John carried on anyway, telling men to repent and believe in the Lamb of God Who takes away the sins of the world.

He got a fairly large following at first, but it soon thinned out, and, before you know it they were saying that he has a demon. You’d think maybe that would stop him, wouldn’t you? It didn’t.

Just one question for you today—–

Preacher, what would stop you?