John 1:19-23

HOUSE OF PRAYER

26 March 2017 –

The Testimony of John the Baptist

Focus Question (What does…?)

What do we really know about John the Baptist? The FORERUNNER…

Timeless Truth (Truth of God’s Word)

His redemptive power, and His deity - This Gospel has taken the Creation account and connected the re-creation of the believer moving from darkness to light.

Background / Context (Context: Theme, Date/ Time, Speaker, Audience, and Situation)

Written in a time subsequent to 70 A.D. but believed to be between 70-100 AD

I. THEME

o Christ’s Deity (THE LIGHT)

II. DATE / TIME

o 70 AD was the date of the destruction of the temple, John dies before 100 AD – so we can be sure that it was not any later than 100 AD.

o We can discern this because this was during a time that the Sea of Tiberias was the name typically used for the Sea of Galilee (6:21, 21:1)

III. SPEAKER: John (The Apostle that Jesus “loved”)

IV. AUDIENCE: Different from the synoptic gospels as it is written to everyone (Greek and Jew)

V. SITUATION: John focuses on events that are not found in the synoptic gospels to prove one thing to the reader – JESUS IS GOD IN THE FLESH, that the eternal WORD came to earth, had been born of a virgin to die as God’s perfect sacrifice for the sins of the world. Not discussing: genealogy, birth, baptism, temptation, casting out of demons, parables, transfiguration, communion, sweating blood in Gethsemane, or His ascension.

The Gospel writer states that John was born in the hill country of Judah (1:39) of priestly descent, being the son of Zechariah, a priest of the order of Abijah (1:5), and Elizabeth, a daughter of Aaron (1:5b). Both parents were righteous before God, following all the commandments closely (1:6). Like the birth of Jesus, only to a much lesser degree, the birth of John the Baptist is described in Luke as extraordinary. The angel Gabriel announced the coming birth to Zechariah in the temple; to the older, barren Elizabeth it came as an answer to prayer (1:8–13). John’s name is announced to Zechariah by the angel, even as his purpose as forerunner is revealed before birth (1:13–17). Such a consecration from birth is reminiscent of the call of the OT prophet Jeremiah ().

TWEET by Pastor Keller:

“No one ever learned about his or her sins by being told. We have too many layers of self-justification to grow without hard knocks…”

I. WARNING

a. Repent and be baptized for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand!!

b. Son of God / Lamb of God

II. REPENTANCE

a. About-Face, 180 deg

b. Broken, Tim Keller tweet

III. EXPRESS THE REPENTANCE

a. Baptism

b. Turn from the Old

c. New Creation (2 cor 5:17)

The bitter irony of this should not be lost on the reader. John emphasized this irony, stating that though He created the world, the world did not recognize Him. Though He came to His own, His own did not receive Him. God has come to the world for acceptance and relationship. Those who accept the Light, who believe in the message Christ proclaimed about Himself, are given the “right to become the children of God.” To be born into the kingdom of God is not something achieved on human energy (see ) but by the grace of the living God through Christ Jesus. This is to be balanced by the emphasis on the need to “receive” Christ. Though we bring nothing to God and contribute nothing to our salvation, the gift itself is dependent on our willingness to receive it from the one who offers it.

IV. Illustration (Optional, note: This is not an embellishment, it must be directly applicable to the theme being communicated by the text.)

AW TOZER – The Plow

Application (Most important part of message. Within this section, the following questions are answered using the focal text covered: “SO WHAT?” Why is this important to me…? How do I apply this to my life?)

Current Issues:

· Not Black Issues

· Not Latino Issues

· Not White Issues

· BUT BODY OF CHRIST ISSUES!!!

Everything is a THEOLOGICAL ISSUE

We must be burdened for the Gospel of Christ!!!

SO WHAT? – What is the application of “EXPRESSING “ – how does your life look, out in the street, at your work, with your friends, with your family…with the guy who cut you off on the way home or to wherever?

V. Invitation (Challenge question: So what decision will you make today?)

So, what are you going to do about it? HE wants you, HE wants you to be HIS…HE is obviously drawing you to Himself…cry out to HIM, beg HIM to be the Lord of your life. Repent (about face) from whatever sin has a stronghold on you and cry out to HIM.

Scripture

(ESV) pg 517

The Testimony of John the Baptist

19 And this is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, “Who are you?” 20 He confessed, and did not deny, but confessed, “I am not the Christ.” 21 And they asked him, “What then? Are you Elijah?” He said, “I am not.” “Are you the Prophet?” And he answered, “No.” 22 So they said to him, “Who are you? We need to give an answer to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?” 23 He said, “I am the voice of one crying out in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way of the Lord,’ as the prophet Isaiah said.”

Cross-Reference

(ESV) pg 347

3A voice cries: In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for our God.

(ESV) pg 467

“Behold, I send my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me. And the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple; and the messenger of the covenant in whom you delight, behold, he is coming, says the Lord of hosts.

(ESV)

5 “Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes. 6 And he will turn the hearts of fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the land with a decree of utter destruction.”

"Break up your fallow ground: for it is time to seek the Lord, till He come and rain righteousness on you" ()

Here are two kinds of ground: fallow (untouched, uncultivated) ground and ground that has been broken up by the plow. The fallow field is smug, contented, protected from the shock of the plow and the agitation of the harrow. Such a field, as it lies year after year, becomes a familiar landmark to the crow and the blue jay. Had it intelligence, it might take a lot of satisfaction in its reputation: it has stability; nature has adopted it; it can be counted upon to remain always the same, while the fields around it change from brown to green and back to brown again. Safe and undisturbed, it sprawls lazily in the sunshine, the picture of sleepy contentment. But it is paying a terrible price for its tranquility; never does it feel the motions of mounting life, nor see the wonders of bursting seed, nor the beauty of ripening grain. Fruit it can never know, because it is afraid of the plow and the harrow. In direct opposite to this, the cultivated field has yielded itself to the adventure of living. The protecting fence has opened to admit the plow, and the plow has come as plows always come, practical, cruel, business-like and in a hurry. Peace has been shattered by the shouting farmer and the rattle of machinery. The field has felt the travail of change; it has been upset, turned over, bruised and broken. But its rewards come hard upon its labors. The seed shoots up into the daylight its miracle of life, curious, exploring the new world above it. All over the field, the hand of God is at work in the age-old and ever renewed service of creation. New things are born, to grow, mature, and consummate the grand prophecy latent in the seed when it entered the ground. Nature's wonders follow the plow. There are two kinds of lives also: the fallow and the plowed. For example of the fallow life, we need not go far. They are all too plentiful among us. The man of fallow life is contented with himself and the fruit he once bore. He does not want to be disturbed. He smiles in tolerant superiority at revivals, fastings, self- searching, and all the travail of fruit bearing and the anguish of advance. The spirit of adventure is dead within him. He is steady, "faithful," always in his accustomed place (like the old field), conservative, and something of a landmark in the little church. But he is fruitless. The curse of such a life is that it is fixed, both in size and in content. "To be" has taken the place of "to become." The worst that can be said of such a man is that he is what he will be. He has fenced himself in, and by the same act he has fenced out God and the miracle. Broken To Bring Forth Fruit The plowed life is the life that has, in the act of repentance, thrown down the protecting fences and sent the plow of confession into the soul. The urge of the Spirit, the pressure of circumstances and the distress of fruitless living have combined thoroughly to humble the heart. Such a life has put away defense, and has forsaken the safety of death for the peril of life. Discontent, yearning, contrition, courageous obedience to the will of God: these have bruised and broken the soil till it is ready again for the seed. And, as always, fruit follows the plow. Life and growth begin as God "rains down righteousness." Such a one can testify, "And the hand of the Lord was upon me there." (). Corresponding to these two kinds of life, religious history shows two phases, the dynamic and the static. The dynamic periods were those heroic times when God's people stirred themselves to do the Lord's bidding and went out fearlessly to carry His witness to the world. They exchanged the safe of inaction for the hazards of God- inspired progress. Invariably, the power of God followed such action. The miracle of God went when and where his people went. It stayed when His people stopped. The static periods were those times when the people of God tired of the struggle and sought a life of peace and security. They busied themselves, trying to conserve the gains made in those more-daring times when the power of God moved among them. Bible history is replete with examples. Abraham "went out" on his great adventure of faith, and God went with him. Revelations, theophanies, the gift of Palestine, covenants and the promises of rich blessings to come were the result. Then Israel went down into Egypt, and the wonders ceased for four hundred years. At the end of that time, Moses heard the call of God and stepped forth to challenge the oppressor. A whirlwind of power accompanied that challenge, and Israel soon began to march. As long as she dared to march, God sent out His miracles to clear a way for her. Whenever she lay down like a fallow field, God turned off His blessing and waited for her to rise again and command his power. This is a brief but fair outline of the history of Israel and the Church as well. As long as they "went forth and preached everywhere", the Lord worked "with them...confirming the Word with signs following" (). But when they retreated to monasteries or played at building pretty cathedrals, the help of God was withdrawn 'till a Luther or a Wesley arose to challenge hell again. Then, invariably, God poured out His power as before. In every denomination, missionary society, local church or individual Christian, this law operates. God works as long as His people live daringly: He ceases when they no longer need His aid. As soon as we seek protection out of God, we find it to our own undoing. Let us build a safety- wall of endowments, by-laws, prestige, multiplied agencies for the delegation of our duties, and creeping paralysis sets in at once, a paralysis which can only end in death. Miracles Follow The Plow The power of God comes only where it is called out by the plow. It is released into the Church only when she is doing something that demands it. By the word "doing", I do not mean mere activity. The Church has plenty of "hustle" as it is, but in all her activities, she is very careful to leave her fallow ground mostly untouched. She is careful to confine her hustling within the fear-marked boundaries of complete safety. That is why she is fruitless; she is safe, but fallow. The only way to power for such a church is to come out of hiding and once more take the danger-encircled path of obedience. Its security is its deadliest foe. The church that fears the plow writes its own epitaph. The church that uses the plow walks in the way of revival.