Becoming a Voice, Not an Echo! | John 1:19-23 

INTRODUCTION

This morning, I would like to speak on the importance of becoming a VOICE FOR GOD in our generation. With the proliferation of all kinds of philosophies, ideologies, and religious movements, now, more than ever before, we the people of God need to become a VOICE FOR GOD in our generation. I would like to focus on the life of John the baptizer and draw some truths for us.

John 1:19 – 23 

19 Now this was John’s testimony when the Jewish leaders in Jerusalem sent priests and Levites to ask him who he was. 20 He did not fail to confess, but confessed freely, “I am not the Messiah.”

21 They asked him, “Then who are you? Are you Elijah?” He said, “I am not.” “Are you the Prophet?” He answered, “No.”

22 Finally they said, “Who are you? Give us an answer to take back to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?”

23 John replied in the words of Isaiah the prophet, “I am the voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way for the Lord.’” 

Like many biblical prophecies, the voice of one calling in the wilderness has a dual fulfillment. More immediately, it predicted the Jews’ deliverance from Babylon. Later, Isaiah’s “voice of one calling in the wilderness” is fulfilled by another prophet. Israel’s ultimate deliverance would come through the ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ. More than 700 years after Isaiah’s prophetic vision, the voice of one calling in the wilderness shows up again — this time in literal fashion: “John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins” (Mark 1:4). John the Baptist applied Isaiah’s prophecy to himself, saying, “I am the voice of one calling in the wilderness, “Make straight the way for the Lord” (John 1:23).

All four gospel writers cite Isaiah 40:3, connecting John the Baptist’s voice and his ministry of preparing people for the coming of the Lord with the voice spoken of by the prophet Isaiah (Matthew 3:3; Mark 1:3; Luke 3:4; John 1:23).

John preached boldly, calling people to “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” (Matthew 3:2). After people confessed their sins, they demonstrated repentance by being baptized and then living transformed lives.

I have entitled this message as, “Becoming a Voice, Not an Echo!”

This morning, I would like to focus on three aspects concerning our voice.

• THE UNIQUENESS OF OUR VOICE

• THE SPACE FOR OUR VOICE
• THE PURPOSE FOR OUR VOICE

1. UNIQUENESS OF OUR VOICE:

When you and I were born the doctors were listening for the sound of our voice, because our voice was a sign of life and breath in our body. In the natural our voice is an instrument and medium of expression. In the spiritual, our voice is our life message that God’s Spirit expresses himself through!

The word echo means to repeat or imitate something or someone else. Unfortunately, many of us settle to echo and imitate what everyone else is doing. When we are insecure about who we are, we end up echoing what everyone else is doing to feel significant and valued. One important truth that we must always remember is that God never designed us to be a duplicate of somebody else. We are chosen by God to be an original! Someone said God’s office does not have a photo-copier!

We need to realize that we do not need to imitate anyone else. We must recognize that we are unique. There are unique things that we will do for God’s Kingdom that our brothers and sisters will not do. The psalmist said in Psalms 139:14 that we are fearfully and wonderfully made. Each of us has different DNA, different fingerprints and different Retina Scans! God did not mass-produce us; we were custom-made! God did not design us to become a clone of someone else.

John the Baptizer was unique in his calling and ministry. He had a crazy sense of style – wearing camel hair for clothing, living in the desert, and eating locusts and wild honey for nourishment! He preached a strange message about someone coming after him whose sandals he would not even be worthy to unloose.

John the Baptist is known as the voice and his voice distinguished him from the crowd. He was not content to sit in a corner demurely and not be heard. He had something significant to say, and he was not going to hesitate to say it. Like John the Baptist your voice distinguishes you from the crowd. It is pertinent to remember that your voice can connect with people, that my voice cannot connect with. Do not settle for being an echo when God created you to be a voice!

A few years ago, I read a book by Bill Hybels entitled “Holy Discontent” (Bill Hybels is the pastor of Willow Creek Community Church). In this book Hybels makes a powerful observation: (Let me quote from the book)

What do we see that creates so much angst, and anxiety, and frustration in us? What is it that creates an internal firestorm, and pushes an activism button in us that makes us say, “That is all I can stand. God, you can use me, but I cannot stand this anymore.” This is what is holy discontent; something you have a difficult time seeing, hearing, or feeling without doing something about it! Your voice is your holy discontent which is your passion that stirs your heart and moves you to act.

I am passionate about training, equipping, mentoring, multiplication. Brothers and Sisters, what are you passionate about? What is your holy discontent?

I read a poem that captures this truth beautifully:

Be a Voice, Not an Echo,

Be an originator, not an imitator

Be a creator, not an impersonator

Be you, Not anybody else

You are Unique, You are Extraordinary,

God made you this way, God has called you to

Be a Voice, Not an Echo!

 

For, in the body of Christ there are many parts,

Each with a special purpose, Do not compare yourself to others,

He put a new song in your mouth, a hymn of praise to our God,

Many will see and fear, and put their trust in the Lord,

Be a Voice, Not an Echo!

2. SPACE FOR OUR VOICE:

Our voice should have a narrow focus to it. John the Baptizer’s self-description as “the voice of one calling in the wilderness” was profoundly fitting. 

• Not only did John minister in the wilderness of Judea, 
• God also chose him to introduce the nation of Israel to the Lord Jesus Christ and prepare the people’s hearts to receive their Savior and Redeemer. 

There is a specific place where God intended you to be – a specific audience for you to minister to. Jonah was supposed to go to Nineveh. Paul was to go the gentiles, while Peter was to go to the Jews. There is a place and space where God intended that we should be. The Word of God reminds us in Acts 17:26 – “From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live.” God has decided the exact place where we should live and our sphere of influence.

What is your sphere of influence?

• Business / Corporate world / Wealth Creation
• Government / Politics / Bureaucracy / Armed Forces
• Arts / Entertainment / Sports / Music
• Education / Research / Investing into the next generation (I teach because I can touch tomorrow!) 
• Media – Digital / Social / Print / Broadcast (TV or Radio)
• Family – Marriage / Children / Youth / Seniors / Counselling / Healthcare 
• Church – Ministry (within the church) / Missions (outside the church)

When I study the history of the church, I think of people who made a significant impact in a particular sphere of influence.

• William Wilberforce – Politics and legislations (Stood against the slave trade, and in abolishing slavery in England, spoke on behalf of chimney sweeps, single mothers, orphans, and juvenile delinquents). He became a voice for the voiceless!
• Robert Raikes – Children (saw a need to educate children, was interested in prison reforms, felt education was the solution – realized that Sunday was the day when children would be available – as many children were working in factories for 6 days a week, used lay people as teachers, the Bible as the textbook) 
• John and Charles Wesley – Revival and Evangelism (Impacted England through their sermons and songs. Some secular historians admit that but for the life and ministry of these brothers, England would have seen the equivalent of the French Revolution).
• William and Catherine Booth (Salvation Army) – Social Work (wanted to make the church accessible to the community – dealt not just with spiritual needs, but addressed the physical needs of the people – homes for the homeless, legal aid for the poor, help for released prisoners, practical help for the alcoholics). “You cannot better the future, if you are not willing to disturb the present” – William Booth

Closer Home –

• Ida Scudder (Christian Medical College, Vellore) – Medical Missions (There was a time when women died during childbirth, as the thought of male doctor attending to them was unthinkable – This prompted Ida Scudder to leave the comforts of the United States and devote her life to serving in our nation).

• Pandita Ramabai – Women and Children (end of the 20th century toured rural Maharashtra rescuing child widows, orphans, and destitute women – rehabilitating them at the Mukti Mission).

Each of them impacted a particular sphere for God’s glory.

We cannot be all things to all people but we can be one thing to some people. God births in each of us a specific message, to a specific people, at a specific time, for a specific purpose.

Sometimes, before our voice is heard we would require to walk through the wilderness. John the Baptist’s voice was heard as a cry in the wilderness. The wilderness in the Bible is often seen as a place of spiritual preparation. It is in the wilderness where God silences all the other voices, where we can only hear One voice…the still small voice of the Holy Spirit!

3. PURPOSE FOR OUR VOICE:

The purpose of John the Baptizer was to prepare the way for the Lord. In the ancient world before a King travelled construction crews would go out in advance to prepare the road. They would clear away rocks, fill potholes, and straighten out places which veered. This is what John the Baptizer did as the forerunner for the Lord Jesus Christ. He prepared the road through preaching repentance and proclaimed the coming of the Messiah. His role was to get people ready for the Lord Jesus’ ministry. 

The book of John clearly says that he was not the light, but only sent to bear witness of the light. His job was simple – to point people to Jesus. On seeing Jesus, he exclaims – “Look the Lamb of God that takes away the sins of world!” When two of his disciples heard the expression Look, the lamb of God, they left following John the Baptizer and started following Jesus. 

In John 3, the people came to John the Baptizer and said, “The One you testified about is baptizing, and everyone is going to him.” He responds beautifully by saying those powerful words, “He must increase and I must decrease!” Even though he drew huge crowds, he never lost sight of his supporting role: “I baptize you with water for repentance. But after me comes one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire” (Matthew 3:11).

John the Baptist was sent not to gain a name and reputation for himself but to preach Jesus. When Jesus stepped into the limelight, John said, “You yourselves can testify that I said, ‘I am not the Messiah but am sent ahead of him.” (John 3:28). 

We live in a generation obsessed with self-promotion…

A lot is said and written about Self-identity / Self-worth / Self-esteem / Self-confidence / Self-respect / Self-actualization (nothing wrong with any of them) – the danger is with the obsession with any or all of these! 2 Tim 3:2 talks about people in the last days becoming ‘lovers of themselves’ We are becoming not just a selfie generation – but a selfish generation! Sometimes this malady in a subtle manner creeps into the church – where God becomes important to serve my purposes – instead of me existing to serve God’s purposes.

Sometimes in our testimonies – we become the protagonist of the story – instead of “amazing grace that saved a wretch like me” – it is almost like I did God a favour by choosing to follow Him.

John the Baptizer recognized his role as a servant and illustrates with a metaphor: 29 The bride belongs to the bridegroom. The friend who attends the bridegroom waits and listens for him, and is full of joy when he hears the bridegroom’s voice. That joy is mine, and it is now complete. 30 He must become greater; I must become less. (John 3:29–30).

As servants of Christ, we have much to learn from John’s humility as “the voice of one calling in the wilderness.” John understood that he was not the focal point of his ministry. The apostle Paul grasped this when he said, “So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow.” (1 Corinthians 3:7). 

A few years ago, I received something as a Whatsapp forward and was greatly challenged by it. I do not know who the author of this piece is, but it is relevant for those of us who desire to be used by God. Let me read it for you – It is entitled “Altar or Stage?”

1. A stage is for performance; An altar is for worship.
2. A stage is for personal applause; An altar is for God’s Glory.
3. A stage is for selfish ambition; An altar is for selfless sacrifice.
4. A stage is where everything must be perfect; An altar is where the imperfect are perfected!
5. A stage is where humans ascend; An altar is where God descends.
6. A stage is where artists pull out all the tricks of the trade to dazzle the crowd; An altar is where servants stay true to their call – to help people draw closer to God.
7. A stage is where superstars hog the limelight; An altar is where everything pales into insignificance in the light of the stunning bright Morning Star.

What about us….Are we looking for a Stage, or are we prepared to Minister on an Altar?

For someone who began his ministry with large crowds thronging to be baptized, he spent the last few days of his life in quiet isolation. John the Baptizer had been quite a preacher – He was courageous, fiery, and confrontational. He concludes his ministry in prison. In fact, the concluding years of his ministry seem to be the anti-climax to the kind of high decibel, fire and brimstone, visible ministry that he had enjoyed in his early years. His end would never qualify for the Forbes List, the Prophets Hall of Fame, Times Person of the Year or anything that the world defines as success. John was never going to get out of jail, instead, he would be beheaded for being a faithful witness. John the Baptizer fulfilled the Purpose for his Voice.

We have looked at the 

• THE UNIQUENESS OF OUR VOICE

• THE SPACE FOR OUR VOICE

• THE PURPOSE FOR OUR VOICE

(USP – Unique Selling Proposition is a term used in marketing and branding that differentiates our product from someone else).

As we conclude, this is my prayer that we would become a voice and not merely settle to be an echo!

Let us consider the life and ministry of John the Baptizer. He was a man who understood his calling, found his space, and fulfilled his purpose. He was not an echo of the culture around him but a clear and distinct voice proclaiming the way of the Lord.

Likewise, God has given each of us a voice—one that is unique, one that has a specific place, and one that serves a divine purpose. The question is, will we use our voice for His glory, or will we settle for simply echoing what the world says?

May we commit ourselves to being voices in this generation—

• voices that call people to repentance, 
• voices that prepare the way for the Lord, 
• voices that point people to Jesus rather than to ourselves. 

May we echo what John said, “He must increase, but I must decrease.”

As we go forth, as agents of transformation in our world –

• Listen to the still, small voice of the Holy Spirit – That God would silence all the other voices, so that you will hear One Voice…the still small voice of the Holy Spirit! 

1 Samuel 3:21 – Lord revealed Himself to Samuel through His word.

1 Samuel 4:1 – Samuel’s word came to Israel

• Allow God to birth in us a message that will impact lives – That God would birth in each of us a specific message, to a specific people, at a specific time, for a specific purpose. (Mentor would say – save your voice – We do not need to respond to every tweet / every reel / every comment!)
• Walk in the boldness of our calling, without fear or compromise – That our holy discontent, the passion that stirs our heart will propel us to attempt great things for God and to expect great thing from God!

May our lives be a testimony that directs people to Jesus, just as John the Baptizer did. May we BECOME A VOICE, NOT AN ECHO!