The Man God Uses – Luke 1:77-80

This passage tells more than the background of John the Baptist- it shows how John became qualified to be used by God. Every believer has been called by the Master to do the work of God. God has a specific purpose for your life, and He has allotted gifts and talents to every individual to help fulfill that purpose. It does not depend on the number of talents per se, but on how faithful you are to serve Christ with all your heart. What is our purpose? Generally, our purpose is to fulfill the Great Commission. Jesus has ascended into heaven. He will come again, and like John, we are His forerunners, His heralds to lead others to Christ from wherever we are. God wants every Christian to be useful for His Kingdom, but in order to be a man God uses, you must be qualified. What are the qualifications? Based on this passage about John, we can draw three prerequisites- 1) You must spiritually grow; 2) You must be spiritually strong; and, 3) You must practice self-discipline. For this sermon, we will be delving into the first qualification.

John the Baptist continually grew both physically and spiritually over time. This is how we must grow- gradually, but continually. Many Christians fall into spiritual lethargy or laziness, which causes them to lose focus of Christ and fall into sin. Take David for instance- he was Israel’s king and warrior, but when he chose to dally around at home rather than going out to engage in warfare, he fell into the sin of adultery with Bathsheba. (2Sam 11:1-2) You must always stay vigilant in spiritual warfare, and like Paul, always take heed, lest you fall. (1Cor 10:12)

What does spiritual growth look like? In Phil 3:8 Paul provides us a picture of the heart of a man who is spiritually growing- he counts all things as loss so that he may gain Christ. Paul saw nothing good compared to knowing Christ. Do you see Christ this way? Many Christians struggle between valuing Christ plus something else. But if you would grow, you must know how to distinguish and discriminate between what is most important. If something keeps pulling you down into the world, you can not grow up into Christ. This is why it is hard for many to grow spiritually. Seek to live simply. You can not go through the narrow gate with all your clutter.

What does spiritual growth mean? Spiritual growth is the process of becoming more and more like Christ. It is growing in godliness and devotion to God, shown by action. It is a transformation of the inner man that totally affects the actions of the outer man. Are you becoming a man of obedience? In order to grow, we need Scripture. It is heresy to try to grow through any other means apart form God’s Word. Peter says to long for the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may grow in respect to salvation. Our spiritual growth depends on our appetite for the Word of God. Are you hungry for God’s Word? God supernaturally made us born again, and He fashioned us to depend on His Word. That is why when believers get far from His Word, they feels anxious and hungry. Scripture is our spiritually food and drink that we need every day.

What does it look like to grow? Spiritual growth does not mean you become perfect, but you grow in the direction of obedience. Those who are growing are in the Word, grappling with the Word, and bearing spiritual fruit as they are filled with the Holy Spirit (Gal 5:22-23) The Holy Spirit is the third Person in the Trinity, and He empowers us, enlightens us, and helps us recall the Word. He imparts joy and praise into our hearts, and He desires to control us. How can we be filled? We become filled as we are filled with the Word, meditate, and through Jesus-centered prayer.

You must have a holy ambition to be used by God. We have only one life. Our fruitfulness depends on God’s grace, but it will work through our effort.