Baptizer Testimony

Recap last week

George Burns in “Oh, God!”

Do you swear to tell the truth.....

“So Help Me Me”

If it pleases the court and even if it doesn’t - “I’m God”

The prologue of John makes a case for God becoming man and revealing himself and making himself known in Jesus. He asks us to believe so that we may be children of God. We can behold His glory full of grace and truth.

The prologue’s testimony is in conceptual format about the Word, Life, and Light.

Now the gospel turns to an eyewitness account of a preacher and baptizer out in the desert on the eastern side of the Jordan River. News about him had reached many across the area including many in Jerusalem.

Please stand as we honor the reading of God’s Word.

John 1:19–34 NIV

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.’ ” 24 Now the Pharisees who had been sent 25 questioned him, “Why then do you baptize if you are not the Messiah, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?” 26 “I baptize with water,” John replied, “but among you stands one you do not know. 27 He is the one who comes after me, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie.” 28 This all happened at Bethany on the other side of the Jordan, where John was baptizing. 29 The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! 30 This is the one I meant when I said, ‘A man who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.’ 31 I myself did not know him, but the reason I came baptizing with water was that he might be revealed to Israel.” 32 Then John gave this testimony: “I saw the Spirit come down from heaven as a dove and remain on him. 33 And I myself did not know him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water told me, ‘The man on whom you see the Spirit come down and remain is the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.’ 34 I have seen and I testify that this is God’s Chosen One.”

THE WORD OF GOD, FOR THE PEOPLE OF GOD

John The Baptist’s Testimony

Question about Identity

Answer to Identity

Observations about Jesus

Proclamations about Jesus

Question about Identity

Travel out of country (even Canada and Mexico) - you need a Passport

Coming back morning after terrorist attack in France nightclub.

Pulled over for drag racing or speeding - “License and registration!”

Are you the Messiah? Implied question

Are you Elijah? Other gospels attribute this - but John says “No” - physical answer rather than spiritual

Are you Moses? Deuteronomy chapter 18 speaks of a Prophet who would be sent

Answer to Identity

Isaiah chapter 40 verse 3 - quoted in verse 23

The voice calling - “Make straight the way for the Lord.”

I baptize with water - but there is one greater than me.

“I am unworthy to even untie His sandals.”

Jewish tradition taught that a disciple must serve his teacher in every task that a slave would perform except for removing his shoe—a task deemed too menial for a disciple.

John D. Barry et al., Faithlife Study Bible (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2012, 2016), Jn 1:27.

John the Baptist understood and accepted the calling on his life and identity.

Observations about Jesus

“The next day” John sees Jesus

The Lamb of God - passover lamb (Exodus) and suffering lamb (Isaiah) both make sense here

Jesus takes away the sin of the world - we’ll see that unfold in more detail in this gospel of John

Jesus is pre-existent (from Prologue) in verse 30 “was before me”

The reason for John’s baptizing was to reveal the Messiah to Israel (God’s People as John’s gospel uses this description)

John the Baptist answers and observations still reveal Him to us today - the Messiah, the Christ, the Savior, the Lord, Jesus.

Last week we learned if we believe in Him - we have the right to become a child of God. One of His people - Israel.

Proclamations about Jesus

Some of these observations could be proclamations as well.

The big one in our scripture today is the last verse we read (34) - Jesus is the Chosen One, the Messiah, the Christ, the Son of God.

This answers what the priests and Levites were asking the day before in the first verse of our scripture reading today.

How did he know? God told him - to watch for the Holy Spirit to come down and remain on Him. This happened at Jesus baptism as we read in Matthew and Luke.

When you see the Spirit remain on Him - He is the ONE!

“I have seen and I testify” who Jesus is.

Can you say the same in your life? Have you seen Him? believed in Him? do you testify that He is your Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ?

Grace and Truth

Grace in John’s answers - his role and his unworthiness before Jesus;

Grace inThe Lamb who takes away the sin of the world

Truth - Jesus is the Messiah - the Lamb - the one to follow - the one to baptize with the Holy Spirit

Do you promise to bear witness to His grace and truth - so help you God?