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As we begin tonight, I want to talk a little bit about why it is that we chose to isolate this little passage of Scripture.

This little passage which doesn’t really seem to say much, yet we saw it necessary to separate it and teach on it by itself.

Anybody have any thoughts as to why it is that we did that?

One reason was to address an issue that had arisen at one point in the first century.

If you read through the Gospel of John, you begin to get the idea that John knew the people he was writing to.

Not only did John know who he was writing to, but those whom he wrote this Gospel for had already read or heard the testimony of the other Gospels.

This idea really comes to life when you look at .

John only states that John was not yet cast into prison.

He doesn’t go into the full account concerning John’s imprisonment but instead he presumes that his readers already know the story.

Several other instances in John’s Gospel present themselves in the same way.

(11:2 compared to , 18:13)

John’s purpose for writing his Gospel was that His audience may believe.

You find this account in

English Standard Version Chapter 20

Now Jesus did many other signs vin the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; 31 wbut these are written so that you may xbelieve that Jesus is the Christ, ythe Son of God, and that by believing zyou may have life ain his name

John’s aim was that those who would read his Gospel would believe that Jesus is the Son of God and by that belief, you may have eternal life in His name.

A little known fact is that in the time of the first century, heresies were popping up all over the place.

And one heresy that comes to mind which I really think John was combatting against was the errors of Cerinthus.

Now Cerinthus was a teacher of the first century who taught that Jesus was merely a human.

He taught that Jesus was the natural born child of Joseph and Mary and not born through the divine process that the other Gospels tell us.

Yet although Jesus was just a man according to Cerinthus, he was the wisest and more just than any other of his time.

He taught that at the baptism of Jesus, the Christ in the form of a dove descended upon Jesus and somehow spiritually manifested the redeemer on this mere human.

And that redeemer which we call the Christ left Jesus on the eve of his suffering so that it was not the Christ who suffered, died and rose again but instead it was Jesus.

Jesus as a mere man.

Now does anyone see any issues with that?

John addresses this right at the very beginning of his Gospel.

English Standard Version Chapter 1

In the beginning was bthe Word, and cthe Word was with God, and dthe Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 eAll things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. 4 fIn him was life,1 and gthe life was the light of men. 5 hThe light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

In John’s Gospel, you find his immediate emphasis on the fact that Jesus was the Christ.

He didn’t beat around the bush with it.

Instead, he begins by making the ultimate claim that Jesus who he refers to as the Word is the Pre-incarnate second person of the Trinity.

That the Messiah or the Christ as some might say it didn’t merely hover above Jesus and dwell with him but for a time.

But instead Jesus from all of eternity has always been the Christ.

He has always been the Christ and he took on flesh in the incarnation where God became a man.

Not losing one ounce of His divinity but instead remained as He was once before but was now 100% God and 100% man at the same time.

Now you might be wondering why it is that we selected this one little portion of text to emphasize the authenticity of Christ’ coming.

Well if someone would, please turn to .

English Standard Version Chapter 3

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

John the Baptist is the one sent before the Lord to prepare the way for Christ’ coming.

He was sent so that through him, all men might believe.

You see, John begins this Gospel addressing the Pre-Incarnate Christ.

He addresses things concerning Jesus that only God would know.

He shows how Jesus was with God in the very beginning and that there was nothing made except that which was made my Christ.

And then John moves on to address the things here on this earth.

John opens up Jesus’ life and public ministry in spectrum of human history.

And he does so by showing that the Messiah didn’t just randomly show up one day.

Instead the Messiah was sent right after the messenger was sent to prepare the way.

For 400 years the whole world thought God had went silent.

That maybe God had grown distant and far from man’s reach.

Yet instead what the people find is God sending his messenger just like he said he would.

He sent John to announce the public ministry of the Messiah.

Listen, God sent a Forerunner to the Messiah with a specific task.

And that task in many ways places John the Baptist in the same category as Moses in .

But with everything there were people who would confuse John the Baptist’ purpose.

There were people who became almost blind followers of him instead of accepting the message that he was sent to proclaim.

And that is the issue at hand.

John was a special man with a purpose beyond comprehension.

And in many ways he was sent from God.

Yet unlike Christ, John the Baptist is not like Christ in that he was not pre-existent.

John the Baptist was not the redeemer.

Instead, John did what he was sent to do.

He came to testify concerning the light.

I mean think of passages like .

John was standing with two of his disciples and he looked at Jesus as he walked by and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God!” and the two disciples heard him say this.

Verse 8 actually does a great job at clarifying what John the Baptist was sent here for and the purpose in which he served.

John the Baptist was not the light but he came to bear witness to the light.

John was not the final revelation of God to mankind.

Instead he was the messenger who was to be the light that was to come.

The one promised by God in Malachi.

This was John’s purpose.

So what do we do with this?

How is this applicable to us?

Sovereignty of God in calling his people.

Every person is called to proclaim Christ.

Regardless of your situation, Christ is to be elevated.

This doesn’t mean we’re to be stupid with proclaiming Christ and intentionally put ourselves in danger.

But it does mean that our circumstances and situation should never dictate whether or not we proclaim Christ.

How should we do this?

Maybe a small Bible Study that people can be invited to if possible.

Maybe its that you have that conversation that you’ve been putting off.

Your calling in the proclamation of the Gospel isn’t designed for you to always be comfortable.

Many great men of the faith have lost their lives for the proclamation of the Gospel.

So here is my question for you.

Is the Gospel and the salvation of sinners worth the possibility of you losing everything?

Is it worth you losing what minor comfort you may have found now where you’re at?

C.H. Spurgeon said this, “If sinners be damned, at least let them leap to Hell over our dead bodies. And if they perish, let them perish with our arms wrapped about their knees, imploring them to stay. If Hell must be filled, let it be filled in the teeth of our exertions, and let not one go unwarned and unprayed for.”

Each of us as Christians are called to live our life on mission.

John the Baptist’ mission was to proclaim that the light of all the world had finally showed up.

Our mission is to proclaim that not only has the Christ showed up, but now because of Christ, sinners are forgiven and made right with God.

But this means that this life that you have, this momentary blip of a spectrum in scheme of all of eternity is not to be lived for you.

Instead it is to be lived proclaiming in every way we can this one who has come.

This redeemer who was in the beginning, who made the whole world and who reconciles sinners to God.

That is our call.