,Jesus as Proclaimed by John and John John 1 In this book John sets forth the proofs that Jesus is God, the son of God. The first 5 verses give us one of the greatest poems in all of history. This does not take a back seat to any Psalm of David or even the great pros written to begin the book of Hebrews. I guess the translators of the KJV took special care to convey the great writing into a poetic verse. 1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. 4 In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. 5 And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it. Read that at your local coffee house or poem reading day at school. What could be better? The only thing better than listening to those words is investigating their meaning. Who is this eternal Word? He is Jesus Christ the messenger of God as the passages in Hebrews point out so beautify. Heb 1:1-4 God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, 2 has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds; 3 who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, 4 having become so much better than the angels, as He has by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they. NKJV Jesus Christ the Son of God is not a created being as some would say but he is eternal as is God the father. He coexisted with the father before the beginning. He is the one that the father used to create the worlds. In Jesus Christ is the physical life of the worlds and in him we find spiritual life in salvation. It is a proof that Jesus is also deity in that he is the builder of all things. Without him nothing was made that was made. Heb 3:4-5 4 For every house is built by someone, but He who built all things is God. NKJV When Paul preached to the men of Athens concerning their unknown God he said this: Acts 17:25 25 Nor is He worshiped with men's hands, as though He needed anything, since He gives to all life, breath, and all things. NKJV Jesus gave life, breath and all things to every living creature as well as to man. He is indeed God. The life of creation was the light of proof of the existence of God. Rom 1:19-20 20 For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, NKJV Even though the light was shining, the world did not comprehend it. Job 33:14 14 For God may speak in one way, or in another, Yet man does not perceive it. NKJV John's Witness: The True Light 6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. 7 This man came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all through him might believe. 8 He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light. 9 That was the true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world. John the Baptist was a man, not God, but rather sent by God. He was a messenger sent to prepare the world for the Son of God. He was to be a witness of the light. In his day there were many like today that are not looking for a light. The light may be easy to see in itself but if you close your eyes, you will not see it. Those people need someone to witness. Someone to say hey look over there. There is a light. We are easily distracted from the light we need to see. When we want to trick someone, we cause a distraction. At home when we are doing something we don’t want someone to see we will jokingly say, “Look at the distraction”. John’s job was to say stop looking at the distractions so you can see the light. Turn back to God. Look for the Messiah. He is the Son of God. 10 He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. 11 He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him. 12 But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: 13 who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. Even though Jesus created the world and mankind, when he arrived mankind did not know him. At his birth a few worshipped him but most didn’t seem to want him around. He came to the nation of Israel or at least the remnant that were left. They were the children of God but they did not receive him. Jesus was most received by sinners. Luke 5:30-32 30 And their scribes and the Pharisees complained against His disciples, saying, "Why do You eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?" 31 Jesus answered and said to them, "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. 32 I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance." NKJV The scribes and Pharisees saw themselves as righteous and therefore acted as if they had no need of Jesus. They thought they were indeed the children of God. The sinners who believed on Jesus and received him as the Son of God were the ones who took the opportunity to be born again and become the true children of God. Jesus said we must be born again. John 3:5-8 5 Jesus answered, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. 6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7 Do not marvel that I said to you, 'You must be born again.' NKJV We must be born of God to have salvation. The Word Becomes Flesh 14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. The apostles bore witness of Jesus as the Son of God just as John the writer of this book is doing. They walked with Jesus and told the story of his grace and truth. They passed the truth on to us that we might believe. John 20:30-31 And truly Jesus did many other signs in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book; 31 but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name. NKJV 15 John bore witness of Him and cried out, saying, "This was He of whom I said, 'He who comes after me is preferred before me, for He was before me.'" John the Baptist bore witness of Jesus. He didn’t do signs and wonders but he lived a sanctified life, set apart for God. He also preached the word of God that all should repent and return to God. 16 And of His fullness we have all received, and grace for grace. 17 For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. 18 No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him. The writer says that in Jesus was something greater than the Law of Moses. With Jesus comes grace and truth. Not one or the other but both together. Rom 5:20-21 20 Moreover the law entered that the offense might abound. But where sin abounded, grace abounded much more, 21 so that as sin reigned in death, even so grace might reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. NKJV A Voice in the Wilderness 19 Now this is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, "Who are you?" Jews at Jerusalem were the great Sanhedrim or high-commission court, which sat at Jerusalem, and was the representative of the Jewish church. They had decided that they would oversee and decide on anything religious in Judea. It seems that when man sets up great schools of religious learning it is not long before they get away from the truth and teach the things of man. 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 Then they said to him, "Who are you, that we may give an answer to those who sent us? What do you say about yourself?" 23 He said: "I am 'The voice of one crying in the wilderness: 'Make straight the way of the LORD,"' as the prophet Isaiah said." Isa 40:3 3 The voice of one crying in the wilderness: "Prepare the way of the LORD; make straight in the desert a highway for our God. (NKJV) Back in ancient times when a king or great ruler planned to visit a place, they might spend years building roads for him to travel on. If the roads were already built, they would improve the way so as to make things ready for him. Today we see big motorcades getting everyone out of the way when the president or governor is coming through town. Our president flies on a Boeng747 named Air-force one and air traffic is cleared out of the way when he is ready to fly. Like earthly kings have preparations made for them so it was prophesied that spiritual preparation was to be made for the son of God to arrive on earth. John the Baptist was the man sent to preach preparation. Matt 17:10-13 And His disciples asked Him, saying, "Why then do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?" 11 Jesus answered and said to them, "Indeed, Elijah is coming first and will restore all things. 12 But I say to you that Elijah has come already, and they did not know him but did to him whatever they wished. Likewise, the Son of Man is also about to suffer at their hands." 13 Then the disciples understood that He spoke to them of John the Baptist. NKJV The angel of the Lord spoke to John’s father Zechariah concerning the work of John the Baptist. Luke 1:17 17 He will also 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 a people prepared for the Lord." NKJV John got his nickname because he Baptized people. 24 Now those who were sent were from the Pharisees. 25 And they asked him, saying, "Why then do you baptize if you are not the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?" Luke 3:2-3 2 while Annas and Caiaphas were high priests, the word of God came to John the son of Zacharias in the wilderness. 3 And he went into all the region around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the remission of sins, John preached repentance and baptism for the remission of sins. Why don’t the “Baptists of Today” preach repentance and baptism for the remission of sins? They are not living up to their name or to the standards of John’s teaching. Neither John the Baptist or John the Apostle. They challenged John because he didn’t say he was a prophet. They said if you are not a prophet and just a regular guy why are you baptizing? They were turning his own words against him. 26 John answered them, saying, "I baptize with water, but there stands One among you whom you do not know. 27 It is He who, coming after me, is preferred before me, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to loose." 28 These things were done in Bethabara beyond the Jordan, where John was baptizing. John’s reply is that his job was to preach repentance and baptism to get ready for the Messiah. The miracles and prophesy and the word of God were going to come from Jesus the Son of God. The Lamb of God 29 The next day John 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 is preferred before me, for He was before me Jesus is called the Lamb of God because he is the sacrifice that takes away our sin. He is the reason that God passes over the sin we have committed and does not give us death eternal which we deserve. Just like the sacrifice of the Passover Lamb protected the children of Israel in the land of Egypt. 31 I did not know Him; but that He should be revealed to Israel, therefore I came baptizing with water." It was John’s job to actually baptize Jesus and have a part in revealing to the world Jesus as the Son of God. Matt 3:13-17 Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan to be baptized by him. 14 And John tried to prevent Him, saying, "I need to be baptized by You, and are You coming to me?" 15 But Jesus answered and said to him, "Permit it to be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness." Then he allowed Him. 16 When He had been baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon Him. 17 And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." In this one scene we see the 3 Persons of God in one place. 1 We have God the Son rising up from the water of baptism. 2 We have God the Holy Spirit descending on the Son from heaven 3 We have the voice of God the Father speaking from heaven That is also what Jesus taught. Matt 28:18-20 18 And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, NKJV God said in a voice from heaven, “this is my Son”. Right there when Jesus was baptized. I believe that when a Christian is baptized to this day God in heaven says this is my child and I am well pleased that they have obeyed the gospel. 32 And John bore witness, saying, "I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and He remained upon Him. 33 I did not know Him, but He who sent me to baptize with water said to me, 'Upon whom you see the Spirit descending, and remaining on Him, this is He who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.' 34 And I have seen and testified that this is the Son of God." That is our message, the Christians’ message to the world: Jesus is the Son of God; Jesus is the Lamb of God that takes away the sins of the world. Believe the message Repent and Turn to Jesus Confess your faith in Jesus Be baptized in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, for the forgiveness of Sin Start your walk of life as a new creation |
AuthorDon Davis is one of several public teachers of God's Word in the congregation. ArchivesCategories |