The Testimony of John the Baptist
Notes
Transcript
Intro
Intro
Election Debates and advertisement
Our candidate is going to do this!
I will do this or that if I”m elected
Every candidate puts themselves forward as the hope of America.
And what happens every single time?
That hope is never truly realized.
To win an election you have convince the people that you are truly the best man for the job.
I will change the economy, I will lower taxes, i will fix the healthcare system, i have the best foreign policy!
Every candidate wants everyone to be convinced they are the only true hope for America…
Could you imagine a presidential candidate saying, “folks, I am not your hope, but let me testify to the true hope not only of our country but of the world”
John the baptist was this sort of leader in Israel.
John the Baptist
John has introduced John twice in his prologue as a witness to the light and the eternality of Christ.
And here we have John’s full testimony of Christ.
Look with me at verse 19 as we see the occasion of John’s testimony.
And this is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, “Who are you?”
So whats happened is that John the Baptist’s ministry has really caused quite a stir among the Jewish people.
John has been baptizing people in the Jordan river and according to Luke’s gospel crowds came to John from all different walks of life.
John was baptizing common folk, along with tax-collectors and even soliders!
John’s ministry and reputation grew to the point where he was starting to get noticed by the religious leaders.
So, they sent some priests and Levites to John to try and figure out who he was and what he was doing.
When the priests and levites came to him they asked him two questions.
Who are you? and “Why are you baptizing?”
And these are the two questions we will likewise be exploring this morning.
The first question was, Who are you?
And this is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, “Who are you?”
He confessed, and did not deny, but confessed, “I am not the Christ.”
And they asked him, “What then? Are you Elijah?” He said, “I am not.” “Are you the Prophet?” And he answered, “No.”
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?”
Who are you?
Who are you?
This question is not asking who John was as if he was a stranger, as if they didn’t know who he was.
John’s ministry was widespread and he had a reputation.
Not only that, but John himself was a Levite, he was the son of Priest, and very important priest at that.
And now you have this son of a priest who is doing priestly work in the Jordan apart from the ordained clique that was the Sanhedrin .
So they knew who John was, but what they wanted to know was with what sort of authority is he baptizing people? what sort of authority does he have to be offering this ritual purification?
The priests are the ones who are to offer the cleanings, they are the ones who had the authority to baptize.
So they come to John knowing who he is, but really wanted to know what gave him the right to be baptizing the way he was. .
So they ask, “who are you?”
There are three answers that would give John the right to do what he was doing.
If he was the Christ
Elijah
or the prophet.
And this is what they wanted to know, does John think he is the Christ, Elijah, or the Prophet?
John replays to them in verse
He confessed, and did not deny, but confessed, “I am not the Christ.”
John confessed that he is NOT the Christ.
you see during John’s day Israel was ripe with anticipation for the coming Christ, the coming messiah.
The Christ was the promised messiah, the anointed king, who would take dominion of all the nations of the world.
Daniel prophesied about this coming Christ, The one who would sit on Davids throne for all eternity, in Daniel 7
“I saw in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven there came one like a son of man, and he came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him.
And to him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed.
This is the King they were waiting for!
The one who would rule over Israel, and not only over Israel, but have dominion over the whole world.
When the Christ comes, Rome’s grip will be loosed, and Rome would end up serving Israel.
However, John says, “I am not the Christ”
Well if he not the Christ, perhaps he Elijah
And they asked him, “What then? Are you Elijah?” He said, “I am not.” “Are you the Prophet?” And he answered, “No.”
They ask if he is Elijah, who was second in importance after the Messiah, with reference to the hope of Israel’s deliverance.
They were asking if John was the same Elijah who had been taken up into heaven and now had returned
For centuries the Jews had read in the scriptures that the great prophet, Elijah, would return before the ‘day of the Lord’ (Malachi 4:5).
“Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes.
Now, many believed Elijah would return to proclaim God’s new day.
That he would be the voice who would announce the coming Christ, the coming King.
Though John says he is not Elijah, in that he is not literally Elijah, the man who was taken up to heaven.
But what we see Jesus saying in matthew is that Elijah has come, and he has come in John the baptist.
Though John was not the literal Elijah, Jesus tells us that John comes in the spirit of Elijah, and John is the forerunner who fulfills Malachi’s prophecy.
However, how does John respond to this question?
And they asked him, “What then? Are you Elijah?” He said, “I am not.” “Are you the Prophet?” And he answered, “No.”
“I am not”
So if he is not the Christ, and he is not Elijah, who is the next figure that would make sense of what John was doing in the Jordan?
If John is not the Christ nor Elijah, perhaps he is the long awaited Prophet!
We need to notice that they don’t ask John if he is a prophet, but they ask him if he is the prophet.
There are many prophets in the OT, And John was one of them.
So what prophet are they referring to? what unnamed prophet was promised to come to Israel?
This coming prophet is promised all the way back in the book of Deuteronomy…
And when this prophet comes he will speak the words of YHWH to Israel.
I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their brothers. And I will put my words in his mouth, and he shall speak to them all that I command him.
John knows that Jesus, the one he is testifying about, is the long awaited Christ, and the anticipated Prophet! So John once again John’s answer to their question is, No!
So who is John? What role does he play? Why is he acting like some prophetic figure as he is baptizing in the Jordan?
So they ask him again, who are you?
Look at vs. 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?”
John introduces himself in verse 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.”
John calls himself the voice of Isaiah 40
Israel had become so wicked in Isaiah’s day that they deserve to be cast away and punished for their rebellion against God… Yet God being full of grace offers Israel hope.
This hope was that there would be a second exodus that would lead them out of slavery, through the wilderness, and into freedom.
And when this second exodus comes the glory of God would be revealed for all to see. And this coming Exodus would be announced by a voice...
A voice cries: “In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for our God.
Every valley shall be lifted up, and every mountain and hill be made low; the uneven ground shall become level, and the rough places a plain.
And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together, for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”
John connects his ministry to the voice of Isaiah 40 where we see God announcing to his people that a new exodus is coming.
a new moses will come and will guide his people through the dessert lands into a new paradise
Isaiah describes the deserts transforming into gardens, and he will turn darkness into light, and he will bring low mountains and make a smooth road for his people to travel.
So John is the herald of a new exodus, announcing that God is about to redeem his people from captivity, as he had in the days of Moses”
This act of baptizing was somewhat puzzling to the Jewish leaders, if John was not the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet… then why is he baptizing?
SO they asked him about his baptizing in verse 25
They asked him, “Then why are you baptizing, if you are neither the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?”
John doesn’t actually answer this question until verse 31
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.
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.”
So they asked the question, Why are you baptizing?
Why are you Baptizing?
Why are you Baptizing?
John was baptizing so that he might reveal Jesus, the Christ, the prophet who Moses said would come, for all Israel to see.
John’s ministry and mission was to make much of Christ and make him known. It was to platform Christ so that all might see him.
Application:
You know, we share in this same mission.
Whatever God has called you too in this life, you are to use your calling to make much of Christ.
If you are a
student,
a lawyer,
a construction worker,
a stay at home mom,
an engineer,
a doctor,
a teacher,
a sales person
if you’re retired…
whatever it is that you do, in that space you are to reveal Christ for all to see. You are to make much of Christ.
Not only in your vocation, but you are to reveal Christ in your social circles....
Not only in your vocation and your social circles,
but you are to reveal Christ in your family,
and not only that but to your neighborhood.
you get the point… there is not a single square inch of this world where Christ says, no, I don’t belong there - don’t make much of me there, I’m not interested in being revealed in this place...
Funny story… I recently received some criticism for being too political. Pastors, I was told, are not to speak on political issues.
my response was that, as a pastor, I am ordained and commissioned by God to proclaim the gospel. The gospel says that Jesus is king over every square inch of this world.
Thus, the gospel is inherently political.
Whenever you say Christ is King, you are making a massively disruptive political statement
Whenever we proclaim that all authority in heaven and earth is given to Christ, that is a political statement.
Christians, must speak the gospel of King Jesus into politics. Because Christ is to be revealed there as well!
John the Baptist lost his head because he spoke the gospel into the political realm!
So many Christians have believed the lie of the world that says,
“you can make much of Jesus over there. You can worship over there. You can have a relationship with Jesus over there. But he does not belong here.”
You can have Jesus in church, but not in politics
You can have Jesus in your home, but not the public square
You can have Jesus in your bible studies, but he does not belong in legislation or in matters of society
We have believed this lie, and because of that, the Christian witness has become limp in our society.
John the Baptist revealed Christ to Israel, and now we must reveal Christ to the world! We must reveal Christ into every nook and cranny of creation, calling all men everywhere to bow before his kingship.
Our problem is that we have such a small view of Jesus. I asked the men last week, “why don’t American men find church appealing?” -
Statistics and surveys reveal that men are far less likely to attend church than women.
So why is that? There were a lot of good and helpful reasons given, but one thought that was shared said, “men don’t find church appealing because the Jesus who is preached is a wimpy uninspiring Jesus.”
I think there is a lot of truth to that.
We have such a small view of Jesus that we don’t think he can stand up to the world we live in.
We have believed the lie that Jesus speaks to our moral lives, but not to our vocation
That Jesus has something to say about our spirituality, but not to our hobbies, interests, hopes and dreams, goals or aspirations.
If we are to reveal Christ to the world, we should take note that the Christ John revealed disrupt everything! He turned the world upside down.
John didn’t reveal a wimpy Jesus
he didn’t reveal a spiritual or moral guide Jesus
He didn’t reveal a christ that was all butterflies and rainbows..
So who is this Christ John reveals?
So who is this Christ John reveals?
John reveals a Christ who is Worthy v.27
even he who comes after me, the strap of whose sandal I am not worthy to untie.”
This Jesus that John is revealing to Israel is so glorious, so majestic, so magnificent that John, the greatest man to ever live, did not consider himself worthy enough to until the straps of his sandals!
You see, John saw Jesus as Daniel saw him,
John saw Jesus as the one who is:
to sit upon the eternal throne
to rule all peoples and nations
to have everlasting dominion
to have a kingdom that will never be destoryed.
John saw Jesus as universally powerful, the triumphal king before whom every knee will bow and every tongue confess, that Jesus is King and Lord of all!
And we think this Jesus doesn’t have a place in our school systems or our politics…
Not only does John reveal a Jesus who is worthy, he also reveals Jesus as the Lamb of God who will take away the sins of the world
He is the Lamb of God v.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!
Sin is the great enemy that has wrapped itself around all creation and humanity.
And where sin reigns death is welded like a sword.
John reveals the Lamb of the most high God, the only one who has waged war on sin and death.
Sin has enslaved all people, all kings, all warriors, all empires, all nations, under its abusive power.
Yet Jesus took sins own weapon, that is death, and by death defeated death in the grave and conquered sin.
And now the good news of King Jesus has gone to the ends of the earth redeeming men women and children from every tribe, tongue and nation.
For Jesus is the lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.
John also reveals a Christ who is not limited in any way, but rather he is eternal!
He is Eternal v.30
This is he of whom I said, ‘After me comes a man who ranks before me, because he was before me.’
For John, Jesus ranks as supreme for many reasons, but one is the mere fact that Jesus is eternal.
He is the eternally existing one… There is no movement in history, no election, no wars, nor plagues that can disrupt what Jesus is doing, because he is eternal.
And the eternal Christ John reveals is the one who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.
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.’
Christ is the “bearer” and the “dispenser” of the Spirit. The Messiah’s “baptism with the Holy Spirit” was in keeping with the OT prediction that God would pour out his Spirit on all people in the last days.
Christ is the great king who puts his seal upon us, and his seal is the Holy Spirit.
He is the great high priest who no longer has to do many baptisms to cleans his people, but rather he baptizes and cleanses all of his people one time with the holy spirit.
As Israel was formed into God’s covenant people through the baptism of the red sea, so now Christ forms his covenant through the baptism of the holy Spirit.
And finally, John reveals Christ as the Son of God.
And I have seen and have borne witness that this is the Son of God.”
Son of God is a title given to kings and emperors in the ancient world.
When John calls Jesus the Son of God he is making an incredibly controversial and political claim that this Jesus is God’s chosen one, he is the one whom God has sent to be the savior and king of the world.
Church, This is John testimony, and this should be our testimony.
Jesus is the Christ, he is the king, he is the anointed one.
He is the one who reigns and rules
he is the one who has been given all authority
He is the one we are to call all people to come and bow down before
He is the one we are to hope in for he is our salvation
he is the one we are to honor with our lives
he is the one who we are to proclaim in every area of life
Church we must have a big view of Jesus, we must see him as he really is, and how Scripture reveals him.
Lets pray