INTRODUCTION: [This portion is read from the lectern by the introducer or narrator.]

Preaching can be dull. When that is true, it is normally the preacher who is dull. Preaching ought to be exciting. The ministry of John the Baptist offers proof that it can be.

John the Baptizer burst into human history as God’s unconventional man; wild, rugged, fearless, and austere. Surviving in the wilderness on locusts and honey, his unconventional message was one of repentence, for the Kingdom of God was at hand; the Messiah, the Christ was coming. He cut through the formalism and traditionalism of his day. Like a bulldozer, he flattened the hills and mountains of men’s faith and minds, making a straight road for God’s Christ to walk.

After 400 years of silence, God was again visiting His people. The s…