<TITLE>06. Par 19-22</TITLE>L-19 The message that he preached, why, the world would not go out to hear a message like that. They would condemn it today just as much as they did then. Same thing if that same message was to be preached.
But it must not have been too bad a message. Jesus said there wasn't a man ever born till that time was as great as John the Baptist. Jesus okayed his message. He said, "Did you go to hear a wind that shakes the reeds, just bends to everything? Not John." He said, "Then did you go to see a man in fine clothing?" He said, "I say to you, that they that wear fine clothing are of kings' palaces." But He said, "What did you go to see then? A prophet? I say unto you, more than a prophet was John. For this is he who was prophesied, or foretold, that he'd prepare the way before Thy face. A great man, John."

L-20 But the world couldn't see it that way. What was it about John that attracted the attention. To some of them, they went to see a wild man swinging his hands, half naked, hair all over his body. He was a--a rather a rude looking person. Probably his arms, hands, 'cause he was a perfect type of Elijah, and Elijah was a hairy man.
And they went to see him. Some of them went to see him to--just to see what he looked like. Others went to see him to disagree with him. Others went to see to find what good they could get out of it.
That's the way it would be today, if he come. If he was here today, or his message would be carried on just as it was then, it would be the same thing.

L-21 Now, let's... If his message was so stunting of then, that it shook the regions, let's see what he preached. The first thing he preached was repentance to all. And repentance always blinds the eyes of the unbeliever, or the church member.
The church member feels that he has nothing to repent of. And when that person or persons get to that place where you think you've got nothing to repent of, you're in a more serious condition. Though being a--a--a member of the church, you're in a more serious condition than the sinner on the street. For the Scripture said over in the Book of Revelations, talking about the church, said, "She was naked, wretched, miserable, and blind, and didn't know it."
Now, if a man was on the street and was blind, that would be horrible. If he was poor, would be horrible, naked--horrible. But not knowing it, that's the miserable part. And there's people today that claim to be Christians, that belong to church, that doesn't know that they need repentance. And to tell someone that, it stirs them up.

L-22 Now, when John begin to preach repentance to those people of the church, they said, "Looky here. We got Abraham to our father. We don't need none of these wild preachers coming out of the wilderness, these uneducated groups, undenominationals. We don't need any of their hollering and going on, for we have Abraham to our father."
So would that same message blind the church today. If you asked the person quickly, "Are you a Christian?"
Say, "Yes."
Quickly they'll say, "What denomination do you belong to?" Now, that's all right, but it has nothing to do with Christianity. One of them will say, "Well, I'm a Methodist, or a Baptist, or a Presbyterian," or whatever church that they happen to be affiliated with, which is perfectly all right. But that doesn't answer the question. You still need repentance. And repentance shakes the people. They think they don't need it. "I'm a--I'm the deacon. I'm... I do certain things at--at the church." That doesn't excuse anything. You still need repentance.


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