How To Be A Great Man" • Matthew 11:1-11 • Pastor Bill Rains • Father's Day • 6/21/2026

Matthew 11 brings John the Baptist before the church as the man Jesus Himself called great. John sits in prison, hears the works of Christ, and sends two disciples to ask, “Art thou he that should come, or do we look for another?” Jesus answers with the works of the Messiah: blind eyes opened, lame feet walking, lepers cleansed, deaf ears hearing, dead people raised, and the poor hearing the gospel. Jesus then turns to the multitude and gives heaven’s estimate of John.

Jesus asks what the people went into the wilderness to see. John was not “a reed shaken with the wind.” John was stable, deep rooted, established, steadfast, reliable, strong, and unwavering. The reed bends whichever way the wind blows, and that picture fits too much of the world. John did not live that way. John stood when the wind blew against him, and John kept standing when the king did not like the truth. John told Herod that his sin was unlawful, and John stayed true all the way to death.

The call to fathers comes straight out of that picture. Fathers must not be reeds in the field, blown over by every trouble, fashion, fleshly mood, or worldly wind. Ephesians says, “fathers,” and that word carries weight. Fathers are called to raise children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord, to keep the family in the Bible, in the house of God, and in right paths no matter what everybody else is doing. Hebrews 10 says not to forsake assembling together, because biblical Christianity cannot be cut loose from churchianity.

John also stands as a separated man. Jesus says John was not clothed in soft raiment like those in kings’ houses. John wore camel’s hair, and everything about him said he was set apart from the world unto God. His actions, attitude, and attire were different. The more a man lives like the world, the more he loses the blessings and protection of God. Eternal work cannot be done by getting wrapped up in the world.

John is also scriptural and spiritual. Scripture ordered his birth, his ministry, his clothing, his preaching, and his whole path. John went by the book. John’s spiritual greatness is summed up in his own words: “He must increase, but I must decrease.” Decreasing did not mean defeat. Decreasing meant Jesus became everything, and that is where true greatness lives.

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Key Takeaways

• 1. Stable men are not reeds John was not a man who bent every time the wind changed. Stability meant his roots went deeper than public opinion, trouble, appetite, or fear. A father, a church member, or any servant of God becomes a shelter to others when his convictions are not for sale. [11:28]
• 2. Truth may cost the head John told Herod the truth when silence would have kept him safe. His faithfulness did not end when the crowd turned ugly or when power became offended. The test of conviction is not whether truth sounds good in church, but whether truth still stands when it threatens comfort, reputation, or life. [19:21]
• 3. Fathers must raise with weight Ephesians says “fathers,” and that word is not light. A father is not merely present in a house, but responsible before God for nurture, admonition, direction, and spiritual steadiness. Children need more than affection; they need a man who will not let the world disciple the home by default. [21:02]
• 4. Separation protects eternal purpose John’s camel’s hair was not a costume; it was a visible mark of a life set apart unto God. Separation is not acting odd for pride’s sake, but refusing to let the world define holiness, speech, clothing, priorities, and worship. A life wrapped up in the world will not do much of eternal importance for God. [25:01]
• 5. Decreasing is not defeat John’s greatest line was not about his crowds, his ministry, or his courage, but about Christ: “He must increase, but I must decrease.” Decreasing days can be glorious days when self-importance gives way to the beauty of Christ being seen more clearly. Spiritual maturity begins to shine when the heart can say that Jesus is the whole matter.
  
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Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [00:37] - Matthew 11 And John In Prison
• [01:44] - Jesus Describes John’s Greatness
• [05:35] - Fathers And The Call To Greatness
• [09:25] - Three Marks Of A Great Man
• [11:28] - Not A Reed Shaken By Wind
• [16:10] - The Danger Of Double Mindedness
• [18:22] - John Stands Before Herod
• [21:02] - Stable Fathers In The Home
• [22:10] - Biblical Christianity And Churchianity
• [23:24] - John As A Separated Man
• [29:01] - Scriptural And Spiritual Manhood
• [30:42] - Going By The Book
• [33:13] - John’s Journey Through Greatness
• [35:45] - He Must Increase

1. In Matthew 11, what are the three pictures Jesus uses when speaking about John: a reed, soft clothing, and a prophet? What does each picture show about the kind of man John was? [23:24]
2. What words were used to describe a man who is not “a reed shaken with the wind”? [11:35]
3. According to Ephesians 6:4, what two things are fathers told to do, and what are they warned not to do?
4. In John 3:30, what are the two movements in that one sentence, and who is at the center of each one?

1. Jesus praised John as a man who was not moved like a reed. What does that suggest about the kind of strength God values most in a man or in a father? [18:06]
2. John told Herod the truth even when it cost him dearly. How does that help explain the difference between being harsh and being faithful? [19:21]
3. Hebrews 10:25 calls believers not to neglect meeting together. Why is gathered church life so closely tied to steady Christian living and family leadership? [22:19]
4. John’s greatness is summed up in the words, “He must increase, but I must decrease.” Why is that not a picture of loss, but of real spiritual maturity? [36:02]

1. Where is the pressure to bend the strongest right now: at work, in the home, in private habits, in convictions, or in fear of people? What would it look like this week to stand instead of sway? [15:08]
2. Children need more than a father’s presence; they need nurture and admonition in the Lord. What is one steady spiritual practice that could help a home this week—Bible reading, prayer, church attendance, careful speech, or something else? [21:42]
3. A separated life is meant to be visibly different from the world in actions, attitude, and priorities. If unbelievers watched closely, what parts of life would clearly show belonging to Christ, and what parts may have become too blended in? [25:31]
4. A man can be in the world so deeply that eternal usefulness begins to fade. What kinds of worldly habits, entertainments, ambitions, or patterns most easily choke spiritual purpose in daily life? [28:39]
5. Stability in church matters because neglecting the assembly weakens encouragement and faithfulness. What usually pulls a person away from regular gathered worship, and how can those patterns be resisted in a practical way? [22:35]
6. John’s life was ordered by Scripture. What would it mean for decisions, parenting, habits, and priorities to be shaped more clearly by the Bible than by preference or culture? [29:42]
7. “He must increase, but I must decrease” reaches into pride, recognition, and control. In what area of life is self still too large, and what would it look like for Christ to become more visible there? [35:45]