today on the verdict with Pastor John Monroe.
So ends life. of a faithful messenger of God. God's voice. The silence. The work of this man The greatest man born of woman.
It's completed. His death, of course. is a foreshadowing. of a greater death, of a crueler death. the death of our Lord Jesus.
Welcome to the verdict, featuring the Bible teaching of Pastor John Monroe. Following Jesus Christ isn't an easy life. It's a life that requires courage and sacrifice. And today on the verdict, we see that as we consider the faithfulness of John the Baptist at the end of his life. You may say you want to follow Jesus, but are you counting the cost?
Let's return to the Gospel of Matthew. Here's Pastor John Monroe with today's lesson. Today we resume our study of the Gospel of Matthew. Chapter 14 I've always been fascinated by John the Baptist. The forerunner of our Lord Jesus Christ.
I received a prize. uh from Sunday school in Scotland. A book about John the Baptist. I still have the book in my library and As I read it as a teenager, I was intrigued by this remarkable man. He called people to repentance and to be baptized.
In this way he was preparing people for the arrival of the Messiah, Jesus.
Now his life is going to come to a traumatic end. there is always opposition to the truth of God. As we consider our lesson today, I want to challenge you to be a dedicated and courageous follower of Jesus Christ. Let's learn from John the Baptist. We ask you to open your Bibles to Matthew chapter 14.
And today we come to the first 12 verses of Matthew chapter 14. Yeah. In Matthew 13, we dealt with eight stories. eight parables told by Jesus. And he told these parables.
These stories to help us understand the meaning of the kingdom of heaven. And one of the things we learned is that the kingdom of heaven, The kingdom of God is of supreme value. It's of incomparable value. Nothing can compare with the kingdom of God. And so Jesus said, seek first the kingdom of God.
And his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. Many things in life, many things we could be doing. Many important things, many things demand our attention. Many priorities we could say. But the Lord Jesus is saying to you and me: if you're a follower, seek first.
the kingdom of God Do all these things. will be added. Uh to your That is, those who are in the kingdom of God. Those who have repented and believe in the gospel, are now following Jesus Christ, must understand that Jesus is King. He's king of kings and lord of lords.
He's to be king of your life. You are to follow him. irrespective of the cost. You're to follow him wherever he may lead. In fact, this commitment to the cause of Jesus Christ is so strong that one of his early apostles, the Apostle Paul, describes himself.
as a slave. as a servant of Jesus Christ. You want to be a slave? Be a slave of Jesus Christ. Christ.
And that means as we follow Jesus, we follow Him not on your terms, but on His. Not your will, but... His will. That is, as a slave following Jesus Christ, we are totally in his hands to do his will.
Well And now as we come Into the opening verses of Matthew chapter 14. We will read. or the tragic death. of a great man. In fact, of the forerunner of our Lord Jesus Christ, a man prophesied in the Old Testament, a man of whom Jesus said, of those born of women, there has arisen none greater than John the Baptist.
Yes, we're going to read of the death. The cruel death of this great man of John the Baptist. And Matthew is putting this in his. Gospel, not only to give us the factual historical account of the death of John the Baptist, but to provide an example, an important example, that following Jesus is costly. It's very, very unlikely that you're going to lose your head because you're following Jesus Christ.
But following Christ for each one of us is costly, as we will learn.
So let's read this very interesting story of. The death of John the Baptist. And I think it will help us and encourage us, I trust, and motivate us. to be dedicated followers. of Jesus.
And I'm reading from verse one. I'm reading from the English Standard Version, which is the version we use and uh is a good modern Version. Matthew 14, then verse 1. At that time, Herod the Tetrarch heard about the fame of Jesus. And he said to his servants, This is John the Baptist.
He's been raised from the dead. This is why these miraculous powers are at work in him. For Herod. had seized John and bound him. and put him in prison for the sake of Herodias.
His brother Philip's wife, Because John had been saying to him, it's not lawful for you to have her. And though he wanted to put him to death, He feared the people. because they held them to be a prophet. But when Herod's birthday came, the daughter of Herodias danced before the company and pleased Herod.
So that he promised with an oath to give her whatever she might ask. Prompted by her mother. She said. Give me the head of John the Baptist here on a platter. And the king was sorry.
But because of his oaths and his guests, he commanded it to be given. He sent. and had John beheaded in the prison. and his head was brought on a platter and given to the girl. and she brought it to her mother.
Verse twelve. And his disciples came. and took the body. and buried it. And they went and told.
Jesus.
Now there's a story, isn't it? Following Jesus involves Faithfulness and courage. If you're a follower of Jesus, You must be faithful. And you must be courageous. And we have this wonderful example.
In John the Baptist. John the Baptist Is faithfully proclaiming the truth to this king, to King Herod. We're introduced to him in verse 1. At this time, Herod the Tetrarch. Hears about the fame of Jesus.
He's got an uneasy conscience, and he thinks, oh, it must be John the Baptist raised from the dead.
Now, who is Herod Antipas? Who is Herod?
Well, this is Herod Antipas. Jesus elsewhere describes him as that fox. Not a compliment. And Herod Antipas is son of another Herod, Herod the Great. Harry the Great was the ruler and was a ruthless man.
And this is his son.
So Herod the Great is dead, and now his son. has part Of the country to rule. In fact, he's the ruler of Galilea and Perea.
So this man Herod Antipas, on the death of his father, gets part of the territory. He is a Tetrarch, and he's ruling over Galilee and Forea. These rules Historians tell us from 4 BC to about 29 A D. No. According to this is important.
According to Josephus, the Jewish historian, Herod. Herod Antipas, the Herod of Matthew chapter 14, when visiting his half-brother Philip. In Rome, seduces Philip's wife, who's called Herodias. And she was also his niece. But there's a problem, isn't there?
Herodantropus is married. He's married to the daughter of the Arabian King, King Aretis of Nabataea, Nabataea being in South Jordan. Probably including Petra.
Some of you have been to Petra in Jordan. And Herod Antipas had married this woman who was the daughter of the king of Nabataea, who wasn't happy. When Herod Antipas divorces his wife. Been married for 30 years, he divorces his wife. and he marries Herodias.
who was previously married to his half brother Philip. Incidentally, this led to King Aratus IV. going to war against Herod for divorcing his daughter and defeating Herod in battle.
Now Herod's remarriage, he divorces his wife. Seduces his brother's wife and marries her. This is perfectly acceptable to Rome. They are ruling under Rome. Rome is the superpower.
And so Herod Antipas Does this? Rom doesn't really care. Rome is a very immortal empire. Taking someone else's wife, even if it is your brother's wife, doesn't really concern them. But of course, It is an outrage.
And it is an open scandal. to the Jews. Not only was it adultery, But it was in fact incest. He was marrying. His brother's wife.
If you have your Bible there, turn to the Old Testament, the book of Leviticus. Leviticus chapter 18. is the chapter against incest. In fact, the law has been changed now, but when I practice law in Scotland, the law of incest came right from Leviticus chapter 18. Uh the the law has been revised and changed, but The Leviticus 18 was incorporated into the law of Scotland.
Here it is, Leviticus 18. Verse sixteen. You shall not uncover the nakedness of your brother's wife. It is your brothers. Nakedness.
Very clear, isn't it? Chapter 20. Leviticus 20. Verse twenty-one. If a man takes his brother's wife, it is impurity.
He has uncovered his brothers' nakedness. They shall be Childless. Very clear, a clear prohibition. Not only against adultery, adultery is part of the Ten Commandments, but here in the laws of incest, There is a clear prohibition. About Having sexual intercourse with your brother's wife and to marry her is absolutely scandalous.
But King Harry doesn't matter. Who cares? He's the support of the Roman Empire. Also, Herod Anthipus, that fox as Jesus describes him, he thinks he's above the law.
Sound familiar? You think of people who think themselves above the law? Who is going to confront Herod? Certainly not Rome. Who's going to confront him?
John the Apostle, when he begins the prologue, In John chapter 1 of his gospel, says in verse six, there was a man sent from God. whose name was John. Who was that, John? John the Baptist. John the Baptist is a man sent from God.
He is a prophet. He comes from God. who is greater than the Roman Empire, who is certainly greater than Herod. Who's greater than these little minor puppets under the control of the Roman Empire? And John realizes that he has a message from God.
He's accountable to God, not to Rome, not to Herod Antipas, and John does not compromise the truth. when opposed by Herod and Herodias. And he reminds them. of the law of God. Did you notice verse four?
Because John, as John the Baptist, had been saying to him, It is not lawful for you to have her. John is saying to Herod, Herod Antipas, it's not lawful for you to have your brother's wife. And Herodias, of course, is absolutely furious at this. Who is this man, this strange man, who's telling us who and who we can't marry? But John is a messenger come from God.
Verse 4 is translated: John had been saying. For you, Grammarians, this is the imperfect tense. He just doesn't say it once. He's repeating it. He's going around saying it.
He's confronting Herod. It's not lawful for you to have your... brother's wife. That took real courage, didn't it? Imagine someone going to our president.
And speaking like this? You know, from time to time, I hear that pastors are invited to the White House. My invitation keeps get getting lost in the mail. But who knows? But could you imagine a pastor, a man of God, a man who claims to speak for God, a man who knows the word of God, being in the White House, being in the Oval Office.
And being, as it were, summoned, and there is the President, President Joe Biden, and could you imagine a pastor saying to our President, it is contrary to the law of God for you to fund the killing of unborn babies. Could you imagine could you imagine someone saying that? Sadly, I don't think so. Sadly, I think that those who seem to get summoned to the White House are so Enamored By being close to power, that they may be silent. Not so, John.
the Baptist. You know, if we heard that John the Baptist was going to b be in Herod's palace. Herod knew about him, he knew about the miracles of Jesus. And supposing we were part of John the Baptist's advisory team. And we read that Herod is interested in Jesus, and he realizes that John is connected with Jesus, and he summons John the Baptist to one of his palaces.
We know John the Baptist. I mean, he's raised in the wilderness. He eats wild honey and locusts. I mean, he's got a camel belt. This is an unusual kind of individual, not too sophisticated, we would say.
And we would probably say to him, John, you know, you do come from God, and you need to have a little devotional with Herod, but tone it down a bit. Don't antagonize the man. After all, this is a great opportunity for us. You might become Herod's personal champlain. You might get invited to his palace to meet all these rich and famous people.
Think of the influence you could have, John. You might even Get a picture with Herod that we could put on social media. That'd be really cool, wouldn't it? Imagine that happening today, I can. But John is a man of God.
John serves God and not man. John is Living in the fear of God rather than in the fear of man. That's what makes him so great. That's why Jesus said: of those born of women, there's not a risen greater than John the Baptist. Compromising truth is not in John's vocabulary.
John's mission is to speak for God. And he speaks for God. With courage and with faithfulness, and leaves the consequences of his mission to God. He kept on saying It's not lawful for you. to have Herodias as your as your wife.
Luke says in Luke chapter 3 that John had reproved Herod for all the evil things Herod had done. Yes, Herod had done many evil things. Immorality and cruel things, and John had been reproving him, all of the evil things that Herod had done. No wonder Herodias hates John. No wonder they want him dead.
What do you think? An age of compromise and relativism. Isn't it true that followers of Jesus Would you agree with me that we must serve with faithfulness and courage? What's happened to us? Remember Joshua?
Gonna face the pagans. In the promised land, be strong and courageous. What's happened? What's happened to her courage? What's happened to her strength?
We sang of a strong God. That sounds very nice, but so what you could say, why are we so weak when we say we're serving a strong God? Jeremiah. Says to those of us who handle the word of God. Let him who has my word speak my word.
faithfully, as Jeremiah 23 verse 28. You're teaching the Word to God? You're communicating the word of God, whether it's an individual or whether it's a Bible study, whatever it is, let him who has my word speak my word. Faithfully. Why is that emphasized here by Jeremiah and elsewhere in Scripture?
Because there is always the temptation. Of those who are proclaiming the word of God, which includes every follower of Jesus Christ, there is always the temptation, isn't there, to somewhat change the message, to make it easier, to make it more palatable, and to seek the approval of people, to be well thought of. to get good press, to compromise a little bit. And that must always, always be resisted by followers. of Jesus.
We are people of truth. From time to time, people ask me to sign their Bible or to sign a book and put a verse. I use different verses, usually John 3:16, my favorite verse. But sometimes I put Proverbs 23, verse 23. Do you know what that is?
Proverbs 23, 23, buy the truth and sell it all. That's the word. of the wise man So the young man, buy the truth. And do not sell it. Do not compromise.
Don't be a spiritual whim. Be strong, be courageous. Speak the truth. Yes, speak it in love, we're told, but speak the truth. Francis Schaeffer used to speak about loving.
confrontation. None of us like confrontation. None of us like to confront those who are in error, it's much easier to turn the other way, it's much easier to pat them on the back and to ignore it, but for followers of Jesus Christ, we do not have that option. We need to speak. The truth today, we would have made excuses for Herod.
I mean, after all, he'd a terrible upbringing. He had the cruelest of fathers. Herod the Great was a very, very cruel man. Are we the blamed his first wife? What kind of wife is this?
Or some might have said, I can hear them, can't you? You know Herod Antipas, yeah, he's a bit of a fox. Here's a model, but I tell you, he has got some really good policy, so let him just continue. Don't say anything against them. He does some good things for the country.
Most would have said it's none of your business. Let hearted Sleep with who he wants. His personal life doesn't matter. But John is a servant of God. He's not a politician reflecting the latest opinion polls.
He's a messenger of God proclaiming the message of God. He is a trumpeter of God. Paul says to young Timothy: preach the word in season and out of season, when it's popular and when it's not popular. And so my question to all of you. Not just the preachers.
But to every single follower of Christ, if you're a follower of Christ, Answer this question in your heart. Is there some compromise? Regarding truth. You're compromising the truth in some way in your home. In your relationships, at work, how you do business, you compromise the truth.
Are you a truthful person? Are you committed to the truth? Even when it hurts you. I'm saying to you, be courageous, be a person of integrity. Serve Jesus.
And Be faithful, yes, in the smallest of details, as well as the important decisions in life. I'm asking you today. to follow the example of John the Baptist. to be faithful. and what you're doing.
I'm not asking you to be Boorish and rude. I'm asking you to do it in love, but I'm asking you. to follow the example of John and be faithful. and courageous. This is the verdict, featuring the Bible teaching of Pastor John Monroe.
There's still more to hear when John returns in just a moment, so stay with us. From matters of truth and identity, to the subjects of love and grace, our world seems more confused than ever. but to find truth and certainty about who we are and find peace, we must turn our attention away from the world and look to the Word of God. To help you do that, John wrote a booklet titled Eternal Security, Finding Certainty in a Chaotic World. Through this special resource, John shares his personal testimony, along with a careful examination of Scripture, to offer us clarity on matters of eternity.
Get your copy today by visiting our website at the verdict. org. While you're there, consider making an investment in this Bible teaching ministry. Whether it's $5, $50, or more, your gift today helps cover the cost of sharing these gospel messages to listeners around the world. And if you haven't already, be sure to subscribe to the Verdict Podcast, featuring John's weekly podcast exclusive called Avizandam.
It's available wherever you get your podcasts, or simply go to our website. Again, that's theverdict.org. The verdict is a ministry of Calvary Church in South Charlotte. We're located on the corner of Highway 51 and Ray Road. If you've been looking for a church home or a community to help you grow in your walk with Christ, We invite you to join us for our Sunday services.
For more details about Calvary and our service times, visit theverdict.org.
Now, here's Pastor John Monroe.
Well, what's your verdict? This is a fascinating story, isn't it? What about your walk with God? Are you following Jesus out of convenience or out of cultural expediency? Or are you being faithful?
and courageous. Don't take the easy way out. Take a stand for what is right. Be true to the Word of God. Be true to your calling as a follower of Jesus.
were surrounded by sleazy compromise and relativism. How we need to speak God's truth. Join me next time as we think of the conclusion of this story. Thanks for joining us today on The Verdict. I'm Michelle Davies.
Today's program with Pastor John Monroe was produced and sponsored by Calvary Church in Charlotte, North Carolina.
