The sermon text for this Lord’s Day brings Luke’s account of the ministry of John the Baptist to an abrupt end. John preached the truth and it offended the petty, immoral ruler, Herod Antipas. Herod rejected John’s message and imprisoned him. The other gospel accounts tell the story of the John’s subsequent execution. John was the first in a long line of Christ’s followers who have been persecuted and sometimes martyred simply for speaking the truth. Opposition to Christ the King and the truth of his Word is not an exception to the Christian life. We must never let the world intimidate us into silence.
