A Man Named John
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· 8 viewsGod uses people in His plan How do we respond when God is Using us?
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People are a Part of God’s Plan
People are a Part of God’s Plan
There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness, to bear witness about the light, that all might believe through him. He was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light.
There was a bit of misunderstanding about who John the Baptist was.
As the people were in expectation, and all were questioning in their hearts concerning John, whether he might be the Christ,
He seemed to be the one that could fit their idea of what the Messiah would be. He was a fiery speaker who was not afraid to take on the leadership
For it was Herod who had sent and seized John and bound him in prison for the sake of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife, because he had married her. For John had been saying to Herod, “It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife.”
But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bear fruit in keeping with repentance. And do not presume to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father,’ for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham. Even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees. Every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.
But that is not what he was called to do or be. He had a purpose.
And there appeared to him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense. And Zechariah was troubled when he saw him, and fear fell upon him. But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John. And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth, for he will be great before the Lord. And he must not drink wine or strong drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother’s womb. And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God, and he will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready for the Lord a people prepared.”
And Zechariah said to the angel, “How shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is advanced in years.”
or, as John wrote
He came as a witness, to bear witness about the light, that all might believe through him. He was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light.
witness - marturia - evidence given
witness - martureo - to be a witness
John was the evidence that Jesus was coming
As they went away, Jesus began to speak to the crowds concerning John: “What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind? What then did you go out to see? A man dressed in soft clothing? Behold, those who wear soft clothing are in kings’ houses. What then did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. This is he of whom it is written,
“ ‘Behold, I send my messenger before your face,
who will prepare your way before you.’
And John was the one who proclaimed that Jesus was here
(John bore witness about him, and cried out, “This was he of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me ranks before me, because he was before me.’ ”) For from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace.
John is the prototype of what Christians are meant to be. A lot of the time we say that Jesus is our example, and in a sense, He is…but John is the prototype. John was the first “witness” which is what we are called to be
But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
So, what did John do?
He staid in his lane
He didn’t claim to be someone he was not
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?” 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.”
The priests are asking some questions regarding Old Testament prophecies regarding the Messiah. First, John offers to them, “I am not the Messiah” So they asked if he was Elijah because it was prophesied that Elijah would return before the “day of the Lord”
“Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes.
A prophet like Moses is also spoken of
“The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your brothers—it is to him you shall listen— just as you desired of the Lord your God at Horeb on the day of the assembly, when you said, ‘Let me not hear again the voice of the Lord my God or see this great fire any more, lest I die.’ And the Lord said to me, ‘They are right in what they have spoken. 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 says, “No, I’m not him either.” So the Levites, get frustrated and ask, “Well who are you” and John answers them that he is the one spoken of in Isaiah
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.”
The people were wondering if this guy was the messiah or if he was the prophet…they knew he was somebody “big” and they flocked to see him. That can be pretty heady stuff. It can begin to feed your ego and if you are not focused on submitting to God, it can be disasterous.
2. He did what he was called to do
The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!
He was a sign that Jesus was here. He bore witness to who Jesus was. That’s what he was here to do and that’s what he did
3. He got out of the way
This is he of whom I said, ‘After me comes a man who ranks before me, because he was before me.’ I myself did not know him, but for this purpose I came baptizing with water, that he might be revealed to Israel.” And John bore witness: “I saw the Spirit descend from heaven like a dove, and it remained on him. 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.’ And I have seen and have borne witness that this is the Son of God.”
John said it’s not me, it’s Jesus…and even directed his disciples towards Jesus
The next day again John was standing with two of his disciples, and he looked at Jesus as he walked by and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God!”
So, here we are, as witnesses of Christ, what do we need to do? Just like John, we need to:
A. Be a witness - do our lives show that Jesus really exists?
B. We need to bear witness - do we point to Jesus or to something else?
C. We need to get out of the way - It’s Jesus message and His show, we need to be careful not to insert ourselves into through our opinions or our thoughts.