John the Baptist GIBF | John 1:19-28

Who Are You? | John 1:19-28 (or 19-37)

Opening Remarks:

Wonderful meeting…Music…Servant’s spirit of the staff and church members

Preaching has been so helpful

Thank you Pastor Hardy for the invitation to preach

I appreciate all the prayers and encouragement. I also appreciate the ones who came up to me after this morning and said, “How are you going to follow that?” Thank you.

But I am honored to preach, especially here. Stillwater holds a special place in my heart. Spent over 18 years here. I’m just thankful the church has recovered from the Jett/Pyle era.

I was half expecting one of the special videos to be called Ministering With A Broken Staff.

Would you mind standing as we open God’s Word? Please turn to 1 Kings 19. Just kidding. John 1:19-28

John the Baptist’s ministry has caught the attention of the Sanhedrin. He’s in the wilderness preaching repentance of sin, baptizing in the Jordan River, telling folks that the kingdom of Heaven is at hand. And as his ministry grows, the religious establishment gets nervous. So they take a survey trip to find out just who this guy thinks he is.

READ

“Who Are You?” It can be a tough question to answer. There’s more to us than just a name. We’re many things. Pastors. Pastors’ Wives. Staff Members and Wives. Independent Baptists, hopefully. Church Members. College Students. Christians. So how do we answer the question? “Who Are You?”

One thing that this group of like-minded pastors and churches can learn from JB is how to answer that question in a biblical way. “Who Are You?”

PRAY

Introduction: I think it’s safe to say that our culture is having an Identity Crisis.

Individuals are being taught to question who they are, even if observable biology is as obvious as it’s always been.

On a larger scale, our identity as a nation is being eroded as history is rewritten and our long-standing ideologies and core beliefs as a country are being discarded.

The modern criteria for identify seems to have become not about what they are, but what they don’t want to be.

They say, “When it comes to our nation, we can’t articulate what it will look like. We just don’t want it to look like what it’s been for 250 years.”

Or, “When it comes to gender, we can’t define what it is. It’s fluid. It just can’t be what it’s always been.”

It’s less concerned about where it’s headed as long as it’s different than where it’s been.

I think at the core of that mindset is a desire to be novel. To be the first to think a certain way. To be a pioneer. There’s an element of pride to be a revolutionary. Even though there’s nothing new under the sun.

So identity is established more on what they’re not rather what they are.

The famous question in recent years is, “What is a woman?”

Anything goes, as long the identity of a woman is not what it has always been. Anything else goes.

I think that’s the danger of being defined by what you’re not. You react so strongly to what you don’t want that you bounce all the way back to the other extreme.

This happens in all walks of life. Especially generationally. One generation tends to overreact to the weaknesses of a previous generation and bounces all the way to the other side.

I think we can be guilty of this as Independent Baptists too. “All I know is I’m not that.” But is that a biblical way to determine our identity? Not only as Pastors and Christians and Churches, but as a like-minded movement trying to accomplish something for God?

There are two elements at work in this text: What I’m Not, and What I Am. And striking the balance between the two is, in my opinion, the key to our longevity.

The Religious Leaders Ask John the Baptist, “Who are you?”

A. John could have impressed with his answers.

“My father was the priest, Zacharias. Some of you guys knew him.”

“I am the first cousin of the Messiah, who I’m about to introduce, by the way.”

“OT prophets preached about me hundreds of years ago.”

But that’s not his spirit.

B. Vs. 20 - John knew what they were wondering.

They wanted to know if he was claiming to be the Messiah.

At first, they heard about this guy wearing camel skins who eats bugs and they didn’t take him seriously. But now that people he’s baptizing people - their people - now they’re paying attention.

When they ask, “Who are you?” John knows they mean “Who do you think you are, the Messiah?”

John’s answer…

C. “I am NOT the Christ” - vs. 20

I. Notice that John openly recognizes who he isn’t.

1. He’s not the Messiah, and he’s not trying to be.

2. His answer, “I am not the Christ.”

3. Look at Vs. 21a

D. JB clearly states, Elijah? “I Am Not.”

1. It makes sense that they ask if he’s Elijah. God said in Malachi 4:5, “Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD:”

2. John kind of seems like Elijah. Jesus compared John the Baptist’s spirit and power to Elijah’s.

3. I might would have leaned into this one. Elijah could call down fire from heaven. If they asked me, I might be like, “Maybe. Watch out!” But John is more spiritual than me and he says, “I am not.”

5. So they ask, “Art thou that prophet?” (vs. 21)

6. This is a reference to Deuteronomy 18:15, when Moses wrote, “The Lord thy God will raise up unto thee a Prophet from the midst of thee, of thy brethren, like unto me; unto him ye shall hearken;”

7. Whether that refers to Jesus Christ or some other prophet sent by God, John clearly states his answer….

C. “NO” - Vs. 21b

1. I love how his answers get shorter and shorter.

2. “I am not the Christ.” “I am not.” “No.”

3. Do you ever get tired of questions? Moms? Pastors? Youth Pastors? At first you try to explain, but after a while, a solid “NO” will do.

4. But I believe there is something to learn from the shortness of his answers. He’s giving a look into his priorities.

5. John recognizes who he’s not. But he’s not dwelling on it.

D. It’s easy to compare ourselves and dwell on what we’re not.

I can’t preach like him

Our church isn’t growing like theirs

I don’t get asked to preach out like he does

If there’s a scale, they’re a 10 and I’m lucky to be a 3.5

Illustration: I worked for Bro. Hardy for 18 1/2 years. When you’re around someone like him, it becomes obvious what you’re not. When I come up with a good idea, I can almost always trace it back to an idea that I picked up from Bro. Hardy’s discard pile. You know, those ideas that weren’t good enough for him to use but are better than any I’ve ever come up with.

E. We have to be okay being an “Am Not.” We all are.

1. But we also have to be careful not to dwell on it.

2. Recognize who you’re not, just don’t be consumed by it.

3. Otherwise we’re defining our identity using someone else as the starting point.

It Can Happen To Any Of us

It’s easy for the next generation to highlight a weakness of the previous generation.

You might say, “I don’t like the contentious spirit.”

Or “I don’t like the blanket, generalized statements.”

Or “I don’t like such strict rules.”

That’s fine, we’ve already heard this week that certain things change with personality or culture from one generation to the next, and that can be healthy, but the problem is becoming so focused on “Not that” that everything connected to “That” gets tossed out the window.

Are there valid issues? Sure. But the trend is to focus so much on what you’re not that you overcorrect and go to the opposite extreme.

Some say, “I don’t like how they articulate positions without reasons.” That’s valid. But the overcorrection tends to be, “All standards are bad.”

Some say, “I don’t like the spirit in preaching.” Maybe that’s true, but the overcorrection is, “I’m not going to preach boldly or confrontationally.”

Listen, I know there are things that could have been done better, but I, for one, am not willing to toss it all out based on a reaction to what I don’t want to be.

But It’s Not Just Young Guys. It Can Happen In Any Generation.

The Independent Baptist movement has always had distinctions, and I’m thankful for the movement I grew up in. I’m not looking for something different.

But let’s be honest, one of our distinctions has traditionally been, “I don’t care what it is. I’m against it.”

There’s an old song called “I’m Against It,” by that famed Independent Baptist of yesteryear - Groucho Marx.

I don't know what they have to say It makes no difference anyway Whatever it is, I'm against it No matter what it is or who commenced it I'm against it Your proposition may be good But let's have one thing understood: Whatever it is, I'm against it And even when you've changed it or condensed it I'm against it

Our Independent Baptist Anthem! New arrangement available through RevivalSong this week.

That’s funny, but is that good enough to be a biblical identity.

“Bless God, we’ll never have CCM music in our church. I’m against it.”

“As long as it’s not that.” I understand that sentiment. But is that a biblical identity?

So as long as it’s not that, does that mean anything else goes?

So is it okay to have a lifeless music service? As long as it’s not CCM? That seems like a low bar to me.

I’m not sure identifying ourselves by the ebbs and flows of modern ministry is a good standard.

My dad was part of the BBF.

And coming from that, our mindset can be, “As long as we’re not that!” But that changes all the time. So are we saying, “As long as we stay this far away from that, we’re good?”

If that’s the case, we haven’t defined where we’re headed. We’ve simply defined what we’re not.

“Well, as long as we don’t look like that or sound like that or go that direction, we’re okay.”

Or “As long as it’s not worldly, that’s all that matters. Just not that.”

So our identity is based on what others are doing? They’re establishing our starting point?

E. I’m not saying “what we are not” has no place in forming identity. It can help to guide us.

Recognize what we’re not. But don’t let what we’re not define who we are.

Otherwise our identity is built on comparisons.

II. While John the Baptist openly recognized who he was not, his identify was defined by Jesus Christ.

John recognized who he wasn’t. “I’m not Christ or Elijah. But here’s who I am.”

A. “I am a Witness for Christ.” Vs. 23

1. John says, “I recognize who I’m not, I’m okay with that, but that’s not my identity. My identity is who I am Christ. He is my starting point. I am called to be a witness. I’m called to preach the Word. I’m called to point people to Him.”

2. “While I’m aware of what I’m not, that doesn’t define me. What defines me is that I’m a Witness.”

3. We need messengers of truth. Truth isn’t coming out of Washington or the Media. You certainly won’t find it on Social Media.

4. There’s one place where truth ought to be found, and that is the pillar and ground of the truth. Local churches like this one and the ones that you pastor and are members of.

5. But truth takes a man willing to stand and cry in the wilderness. Someone willing to boldly declare the Word.

6. You may not have the biggest crowd or be the most dynamic speaker, but Pastor, you can resolve to stand behind that pulpit and declare truth to a culture that needs it. In fact, God looks for “Am Nots” to do that.

7. Youth Pastor, build young people not on programs but on consistent and bold declaration of God’s Word.

8. Staff members and church members, the greatest task at hand is to point people to Jesus, which anyone can do.

9. Passionate declaration of God’s Word was a mark of the prophets and John the Baptist and Paul and Jesus. It’s been a mark of Independent Baptists. And whether or not it’s popular or crowd-building, God give the next generation courage not to let that go.

10. I’m not saying preach your opinions and hobby horses. I mean “Preach the Word boldly, clearly, and without apology.”

11. You say, “I’m not a Pastor.” Okay, so take out the airpods, get out of the office, and point people to Christ.

12. I’d much prefer when people ask me, “Who are you?” Rather than say, “Well I’m not that or that” I want to say, “I’m not much, but I am a Witness For Christ.”

Second, John says…

B. “I am a Servant of Christ.” Vs. 24-26

1. The Pharisees ask who gave John the authority to baptize.

2. Well, God John commissioned for this ministry. In Matthew 21, Jesus implies that John got his authority to baptize directly from Heaven. God commissioned him. And he obeyed.

3. John was called to do something and he did it. It made him a target and caused him trouble, but he said, “I serve God, not the Sanhedrin.”

4. We can get caught up in what others do or what other think about what we’re doing, or we can simply do what God has called us to do. Evangelize, baptize, and disciple. No matter what is the latest trend. That defines us.

5. John the Baptist wasn’t doing something novel to change things up. He had a commission from God. His one concern was pleasing the One to whom he would answer.

6. It would do us well to remember that success in God’s eyes is not the newest idea and the latest trend. Success means faithfully obeying what God has commanded.

Joshua 1:8 “This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.”

7. Me: God’s idea of success is not the pioneer who does the new things. It’s the plodder who does the right things.

8. The only label that matters is “Good And Faithful Servant.”

John says, “There’s a lot I’m not. But my identity is: I am a witness for Christ, and I am a servant of Christ…”

C. #3. “I am a Worshipper of Christ.” Vs. 26-27

1. In many ways, this is a sermon about comparisons. If we’re not careful, we’ll let comparisons define us, instead of Jesus defining us.

2. But there is one appropriate comparison mentioned in this text. How you and I compare to Jesus Christ.

3. When John thought about Jesus, all he could say was, “I’m not worthy to take His shoes off of His feet.”

4. Dirty, dusty, muddy feet. John says, “Even that’s above me.”

5. While we’re out playing the comparison game to everyone out there, the only comparison that we need on a daily basis is to see ourselves in light of our Savior.

6. When that happens, all we can do is hit the floor, face down, unworthy to touch His shoes. The same One who washed His disciples’ feet.

7. The most accurate identity I have is that I’m a worthless sinner loved by a holy Savior.

8. Which means a major part of who we are should be humble worshipper.

9. These days, this is worship. But most biblically, this is worship.

10. In a day when everyone is compared on livestream and social media, the only comparison that counts is who we are before our Savior.

11. Not only does it align us with reality, but it ushers in His presence. Because the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy, dwells with those of a contrite and humble spirit. (Isaiah 57:15)

III. I want to point out two numbers: 9 and 56

What does that mean?

John used 9 words to describe what he’s not.

“I am not the Christ. I am not. No.” 9 words

But he used 56 words to describe who he is.

“I’m a Witness pointing people to Christ.”

“I’m a Servant faithfully doing God’s work.”

“I’m a Worshipper humbly on my face. That’s who I am.”

My point is this: Recognize who we are not. But identify ourselves by who we are in Christ.

If we focus too much on what we’re not, we’ll lose sight of what we should be.

It’s the Greater Yes principle. God gave Adam and Even one “No” but they had a garden full of “Yeses.”

Was the “No” there to ruin all the fun? No. It was commanded to protect the Yes, which was an unhindered walk with the Creator.

But dwelling on the “No” cost them the “Yes.”

There are a lot of “No’s” out there. There’s a lot of “What I’m not” out there.

But if I dwell on the “No’s” I forget that the “Yes” is the payoff.

The Yes is “Witness, Servant, Worshipper.”

When that’s my identity, it answers so many of the “No’s” for me.

Pastor

There’s a lot we’re not. But we can get so focused on what we’re not that we forget to connect it to what we are.

I’m thankful that I have God’s preserved Word in this King James Bible. But God help us not to preach so much against the other versions that we neglect the call to rightly divide the one we have. That’s our witness.

Preach holiness. We need to hear more about it. But don’t forget the Yes while preaching against the No. Otherwise we might find ourselves creating a Pharisaical mindset that says, “At least I’m not an extortioner, or unjust, or an adulterer, or like this publican.” So is it okay to be a hypocrite as long as we’re not that?

We’re all working to raise the next generation. But in giving them guidelines and standards, don’t forget that the Yes is a rich and thriving walk with God. I don’t want my emphasis to send the message that standards are a replacement for a spirituality.

Recognize what we’re not. But be driven by what we are.

What are we?

We are witnesses, voices, crying out and pointing people to Christ. That’s an identity worth embracing.

We are servants, faithfully carrying out our commission. We may not be much, but we can be faithful.

We are worshippers, humbling ourselves daily before God.

What we’re not can guide us. But it shouldn’t define us. Let who we are in Jesus Christ identify us.

Conclusion

Illustration: Taking Eastside…Phil Spencer 40 years…great church with a strong legacy and testimony…He left one week and I came the next

No transition, no serving together for a certain amount of time, the Lord did it that way

People ask, “Why was it so seamless? It’s not supposed to be that smooth.”

Because Phil Spencer’s identity was in being a humble servant who pointed people to Jesus.

In other words, His identity was about Jesus Christ.

If that is our identity, it allows the transitions from one generation to the next to be seamless. Because we are identified through Jesus. And Jesus doesn’t change.

If one generation to the next attaches its identity not to the trends of the moment but to the timeless Savior who changes not, there will be minimal loss in those generational transitions.

Phil Spencer and I are not the same. But our identity is the same, we have the same standard, the same focus, the same motivation.

The “What I Am Not” will change, but the Great I Am never will.

So let’s witness. And serve. And worship. And identify ourselves in those. And then watch Him bless us as one generation of contenders passes the torch to the next.