Sermon Tone Analysis

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The Testimony About Jesus

I. Intro:

A. In this section of the Gospel of John...

Jesus is declared..

Jesus is followed

Jesus performs a miracle

And.. Jesus makes a statement..

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B. These are the events which began His public ministry..

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1.

2.

The previous study was about John the Baptist,

We see, in his ministry... how he was given all of this attention by society..

So that... ultimately, he could pass it right on to Jesus.

Tonight we pick up in the middle of John’s story.

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II.

/ Jesus is declared / The testimony of John The Baptist

Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, “Who are you?” 20 He confessed, Chad Page 1 10/1/2015

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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.”

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24 (Now they had been sent from the Pharisees.)

25 They asked him, “Then why are you baptizing, if you are neither the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?” 26 John answered them, “I baptize with water, but among you stands one you do not know, 27 even he who comes after me, the strap of whose sandal I am not worthy to untie.”

28 These things took place in Bethany across the Jordan, where John was baptizing.

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Jn 1.28

29 The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!

30 This is he of whom I said, ‘After me comes a man who ranks before me, because he was before me.’ 31 I myself did not know him, but for this purpose I came baptizing with water, that he might be revealed to Israel.”

32 And John bore witness: “I saw the Spirit descend from heaven like a dove, and it remained on him.

33 I myself did not know him, but he who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain, this is he who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’

34 And I have seen and have borne witness that this is the Son of God.”

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The main point of this passage, is to distinguish the herald from the person being announced..

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Chad

The curiosity of these religious leaders gives us a record of these questions…

and It gives us a better opportunity to learn who this John The Baptist guy is.

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(1) If he’s just some random kook... then he doesn’t bring validity to the story of Jesus..

b) But he is a valid part of the story...

(1) And he is declaring, according to the scriptures...

(a) ...the continuing revelation of The Gospel, which is also according to the scriptures...

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a) The questions about Elijah

are a reference to

(ESV)

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awesome day of the LORD comes.

(1) John declared that he was not Elijah..

(a) Or that... he didn’t understand or know if he was operating in the spirit of Elijah..

if he was operating in the spirit of Elijah..

(i) Jesus had something else to say on the matter.

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(ESV)

14 and if you are willing to accept it, he is Elijah who is to come.

(ESV)

12 But I tell you that Elijah has already come, and they did not recognize him, but did to him whatever they pleased.

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back to the Old Testament.

2.

back to the Old Testament.

John is validated, because, like Jesus, his story links

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Chad

(b) But rather... this Messiah would come to overthrow, and conquer.

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(b) Whether John realized it or not isn’t significant...

(i) It was prophesied that Elijah would come to fulfill a specific purpose..

(a) And Jesus confirmed it...

So, John’s denial of being Elijah isn’t really significant..

b) They also asked if he was “the prophet”

(2)

(1)

Which refers back to ...

(a) ...speaking of a prophet that the people were commanded to listen to...

(i) He would speak God’s words and do what God commands him to do.

The Jews believed that this particular prophet would be an end times figure...

(a) And if John was this prophet..

(2)

(i)

to follow..

Then the Messiah which was

(a) humility..

...did not come to die in

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(b) Unfortunately for them... this was not going to be the case.

They had an expectation about the Messiah,

a) ...which Jesus was not going to satisfy...

(1) When we studied through some of the Major Prophets,

(a) We repeatedly saw how some Messianic prophecies looked quite different than others...

(i) In some, He would come in humility, and would suffer, as a lamb before the slaughter..

(ii) In others, He would come in power, and establish His Kingdom on earth..

(b) The scriptures were not contradicting....

(i) They were merely showing us that Jesus had a work to do... which was two-fold...

(a) He would first, come and conquer the spiritual affects of sin and death...

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Chad

3.

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(b) He would second... come, and conquer evil, and set up His reign for a thousand years.

Chad

4. I’m sure the Jews hoped that he would be their expectation of the prophet...

a) For that would validate their expectation for a Messiah..

(1) They were going to be disappointed.

B. John answered no to their inquiries about Elijah and about the prophet...

1.

Jesus would later affirm the Elijah part...