John 1:15-18 Unveiling The God That Has Come To Live Among Us - Part 2

26.10.08 John 1:15-18 (NASB)

Audio Sermon File: John 1:15-18

Going Deeper: Study Guide

Unveiling The God That Has Come To Live Among Us - Part 2

Last week as we began our study on verse 14, we unfolded the amazing realities of the incarnation. That the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us (v.14). God entered into this world in the person of Jesus Christ, specifically at one historic point in time and space by way of the incarnation. God has done this in a way that had never been done before and never has been done since. The incarnation reveals that God is present in our world and is working here.

The incarnation was foretold to Isaiah by God, and Isaiah recorded this prophecy approximately 700 years before it came to pass. The fulfillment is found in the New Testament in detail, in Matthew and Luke. What took place was that a virgin, named Mary, gave birth to a child which had been conceived not of human means, but was of the Holy Spirit. In other words, found in this child is no ordinary human being, but this child named Jesus, was God Himself with us here on earth. He was to be known as Immanuel which means - God with us !

The incarnation is critically important to us. The incarnation is God’s fulfillment of His plan of salvation to bring us back into a right relationship with God permanently. In so doing we may be freed from the guilt and shame caused by our sins; and the weight and penalty due to our sins may be permanently removed, through a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.

The main focus of last weeks sermon was the fact that Jesus Christ is 100% man. But we also kept things in balance by briefly recalling that Jesus Christ is also 100% God. To help us understand this concept better, theologians have termed this reality as the Hypostatic Union. Paul Enns gives us this definition - "the second person, the pre-incarnate Christ came and took to Himself a human nature and remains forever undiminished Deity and true humanity united in one person forever"

Let’s expand upon this definition - in other words through the incarnation, Jesus came to earth as a Person and not only or merely as a nature. The Word of God in His pre-incarnate state took on an additional nature, which was a human nature. The Word did not come and dwell in a particular human body like some kind of spirit possession. The Word came as a Person with the resulting union of the two natures, which is Deity and humanity - the God-Man, 100% God and 100% Man.

The two natures of Christ are never considered as a dual personality. "The two natures are inseparably united without mixture or loss of separate identity" (Enns). Jesus Christ is fully God and fully man forever, with 2 distinct natures. These 2 distinct natures are in one Person.

Sometimes we would evidence Jesus' human nature (He became tired, wept, got hungry, etc). And sometimes Jesus' Deity (He knew the hearts of men, forgave sin, healed). Whatever the realm, it was considered and attributed to His one Person, despite that He is 2 natures, God-Man. Jesus Christ is never considered a dual personality, but He is a single Person.

Let us summarize the facts of the Hypostatic Union:
1. There are 2 distinct natures in Jesus Christ - humanity and Deity
2. Even though there are 2 natures in Jesus Christ, He remains as one Person
3. In Christ the 2 natures are never mixed or intermingled

This is the awesome wonder of the incarnation, 2 distinct natures -100% man and 100% God; all in one Person - inseparably united, and not mixed or intermingled in any way. This is why Jesus Christ is the perfect Man without sin, and therefore the only perfect sacrifice in place of the penalty we deserve for our sin.

This is the incarnation, and as in the last part of verse 14 of John chapter 1, the Apostle describes this reality as - full of grace and truth.

The Hypostatic Union describes the realities of the incarnation, which is the fullest manifestation of God’s grace and God’s truth. The incarnation shows fully the extent of God’s compassion, favour, love, faithfulness, and goodwill upon the pinnacle of His creation. In no other way will this event be duplicated in human history, that the truth and reality of God, has been perfectly displayed in Jesus Christ.

As we complete the prologue of this gospel we will find that the Apostle John further unveils the reality of the incarnation by giving us - 1. The Witnesses of the Incarnation (v.15-16)and 2. The Purpose of the Incarnation (v.17-18)

1. The Witnesses of the Incarnation

v.15 - John testified about Him and cried out, saying, "This was He of whom I said, `He who comes after me has a higher rank than I, for He existed before me.' "

The Apostle John after he makes a brief introduction to the incarnation of the Word, Jesus Christ - makes a brief comment referring back to "The Witness to the Light" - John the Baptist. The Apostle even directly quotes John the Baptist’s words. The author of the Gospel does this in order to re-establish the relationship between the Word and the Baptist.

We must keep in mind that in terms of elapsed time, John the Baptist gave his witness concerning Jesus Christ more than 50 years prior, since the Gospel was written between AD 80-90. John the Baptist had been beheaded a long time ago. But the Apostle John is saying of John the Baptist, that he testified to Jesus Christ, and his witness is still valid and continuing into the future. John the Baptist cried out and his words even are true and effective today, even though he spoke them nearly 2000 years ago.

What was the point of John the Baptist? His point was that he was now able to make a positive identification of the Messiah, Jesus Christ the Son of God. Before this He only pointed to the coming Light in a general way. But now the Baptist could specifically point directly at the Son of God and say - This was He. John the Baptist knew who the incarnate Son of God was because God identifies His Son as we find later in verse 33-34: "I did not recognize Him, but He who sent me to baptize in water said to me, `He upon whom you see the Spirit descending and remaining upon Him, this is the One who baptizes in the Holy Spirit.' "I myself have seen, and have testified that this is the Son of God."

Now that John the Baptist could positively identify the incarnate Word, Jesus Christ, John expresses his humble position in relationship to the incarnate Word.

In the Ancient Near East, those who were born first enjoyed the respect, superiority, and privileges of their seniority. John the Baptist was born six months (Lk. 1:26, 36) before Jesus, so according to the customs, he would
be viewed as commanding more respect than Jesus Christ. But John the Baptist states the opposite and affirms the priority of the incarnate Word. John the Baptist humbly declares without any question that the Word, Jesus Christ, though coming after John - is higher rank (ie: pre-eminent) and existed before the Baptist (ie: the Word was eternally pre-existent).

By declaring that the Word became flesh in v.14, and then quoting John the Baptist’s own testimony, the Apostle John sets up the framework for the clear connection that he is about to make for his readers. The connection is that the incarnate Word is none other than Jesus Christ.

As in the start of the prologue of the Gospel, in verse 1, the Apostle declares "In the beginning was the Word…" - now according to the unfolding of God’s plan of salvation, the Apostle declares that the Word has become incarnate among men.

By way of application we see implicit in verse 15, that John the Baptist is a very humble servant of the Lord. He had the privileges that his society bestowed because of his seniority, but he willingly refused to let them get in the way of serving God. We find that time and time again - God desires to find humble servants that will not put themselves above Christ. God honours those who remain humble before Him. As for the proud, they only bring glory to themselves, and the humble always bring glory to God.

In verse 16 to the end of the Gospel’s prologue at verse 18, the Apostle John expands on what he began in verse 14. Once again John includes himself among all the believers that have personally experienced the living Christ - in this statement by using "we." What has John the Apostle been witness to along with others of his time? He has been eyewitness to the incarnate Word’s "fulness." The word "fulness" in verse 16 is never used in the entire Gospel except here. It expresses that John has received from the incarnate Word, the full experience, of the reality of Deity, which is part of the Person of Jesus Christ. John has experienced the reality of Jesus Christ’s Deity and Humanity through the incarnation - God veiled in human flesh, was present before John.

This living encounter with the Living God, has been described as "grace upon grace." This emphasizes that those who have beheld His glory (v.14), have received the very characteristics that we as believers today have come to experience about God - that is God’s gracious mercy and loving-kindness. In Jesus Christ, what Jeremiah expressed in Lamentations 3 is fully and personally known. Lamentations 3:21-26 states: "This I recall to my mind, Therefore I have hope. The Lord's lovingkindnesses indeed never cease, For His compassions never fail. [They] are new every morning; Great is Thy faithfulness. "The Lord is my portion," says my soul, "Therefore I have hope in Him." The Lord is good to those who wait for Him, To the person who seeks Him. [It is] good that he waits silently For the salvation of the Lord."

God’s grace for us today, as believers in Jesus Christ, is seen in increasing measure as we mature in life and Christ. Even though we have not yet physically seen Jesus Christ personally, we have received from Him blessing after blessing. The greatest grace we have experienced is the salvation that Christ has brought into our lives. This gift included the forgiveness of our sins and the grace of imparted eternal life with God… a hope that never fades but will be realized. Grace upon grace - what an awesome reality that God’s storehouse of grace is never exhausted, and each day brings an abundance of new divine graces. Let us always be fully aware of God’s graces in our lives and thank Him for each and every one.

2. The Purpose of the Incarnation

In contrast to the grace found in the incarnate Word, it is now contrasted to the Law. The Law of Moses was given to the people of Israel, to show the people that God was a Holy God and that He demands that His people be holy too. Yet through the keeping of the Law, no one could keep up with all the laws, they could not measure to the righteous standards that God had called for. So in the grace of God, the Law served as a tutor. It taught man the fact that he cannot keep the Law on his own, due to his sinfulness. In fact as a person compared his life to the standard of the Law, it showed him how much more of a sinner he really even knew he was. So through the provision of the Law, man saw his need of a Saviour from the demands of, and the penalty of not being able to keep the Law, and that Saviour is the incarnate Word Jesus Christ.

Romans 8:1-11 affirms these truths:
"There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death. For what the Law could not do, weak as it was through the flesh, God [did:] sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and [as an offering] for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. For those who are according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who are according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace, because the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God; for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able [to do so]; and those who are in the flesh cannot please God. However, you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him. And if Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, yet the spirit is alive because of righteousness. But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who indwells you."

As one author writes - 'Yes, the Law was given through Moses, and was in no way imperfect or evil, but in God’s sovereign plans; grace and truth were realized through Jesus Christ.'

The Apostle once again uses the term "grace and truth," here in verse 17. The first time these 2 words were used was back in verse 14, in reference to the incarnate Word. The incarnation, is the fullest manifestation of God’s grace and God’s truth. The incarnation shows fully the extent of God’s compassion, mercy, favour, steadfast love, faithfulness, reliability, integrity, and goodwill upon the pinnacle of His creation. In no other way in the past or in the future has the truth and reality of God, been perfectly displayed except in the incarnate Word.

Up to this point in the prologue, we have been equating the Word, with Jesus Christ, though the individual verses that we have studied did not say this. But now, in verse 17, we do have the positive identification of the incarnate Word. It is the first time in the Gospel that the author, the Apostle John, specifically identifies who the incarnate Word is.

The Apostle John makes the positive link with the 2 words "grace and truth," first found in verse 14 in reference to the incarnate Word. Please look down at verse 14…and we may ask this question in verse 14 - "Who is the One that is full of grace and truth?" The answer would be "the Word [that] became flesh and dwelt among us."

Now if we look down at verse 17 - we may ask this question - "In whom was grace and truth revealed?" And the answer is - in Jesus Christ. Therefore "The Word [that] became flesh and dwelt among us," is none other than Jesus Christ.

The designation Jesus Christ is composed of a human name, plus a title. The name Jesus is the Greek form of the Hebrew name Joshua. The meaning of the name is "salvation of YHWH." The title of "Christ," is also the Greek version for the Hebrew word "Messiah," which means "anointed one." It was in the Ancient near East that kings and priests underwent the act of anointing, to establish the fact that there was a spiritual dimension to the office. The anointed one was to be God’s representative to carry out God’s plans. So it was a fitting double title - for in Jesus Christ is the only way to salvation from our sins that God prescribes; and Jesus Christ has been the long awaited anointed one, who will perfectly fulfill the role of God’s representative and perfect ruler.

The Apostle only used this double title twice in his Gospel, and it is fitting to use it here, at the climax of the prologue. By so doing the Apostle rightly elevates his beloved Lord and Saviour - Jesus Christ - God’s promised One, to His rightful place.

So for us to understand this reality we are confronted with these soul searching questions: Who is Jesus Christ to you? and How will you respond to Him today?

In light of the prophecy of the incarnation in the OT, Isaiah rightly responds to the coming incarnate Christ and ascribes to Him glory and honour, in chapter 9 of Isaiah: "For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; And the government will rest on His shoulders; And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace. There will be no end to the increase of [His] government or of peace, On the throne of David and over his kingdom, To establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness From then on and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will accomplish this."

The Apostle closes off the prologue in verse 18 the same way that he began it , with the focus upon God together with the Word. Yet, John reveals the whole purpose of the incarnation. The purpose of the incarnation is that those who once were in darkness can now have life and light through the knowledge of the truth of the Word [that] became flesh and dwelt among us (v14) - Jesus Christ.

Since God is Spirit- no one has seen God at any time. Even Moses who was known to speak with God "face to face," and saw "the form of the Lord," yet this was not, in any way, all the fullness of God. God did reveal Himself in glorious ways, but it was still not a complete and full revelation. It is clear that in the OT, that God cannot be seen and if God’s fullness would be seen by man, who being a sinner, he would be immediately consumed by death. As Moses asked to see God’s glory this was God’s reply in Exodus 33:20 - "You cannot see My face, for no man can see Me and live!" Yet, now it is through the incarnation of the Word of God that God is fully revealed.

Not only is God fully revealed, but He is also now able to be known personally, through Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is "the only begotten God" meaning that He is solely the "one-of-a-kind God." There are no others besides Him before of after or to come. The Word incarnate is without equal and this statement affirms the Deity of Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is the God-Man - 100% God and 100% Man in One Person.

The level of closeness between God the Father and God the Son is expressed by the description that Jesus Christ dwells "in the bosom of the Father," in verse 18. This phrase conveys a mutual level of intimacy, love, and knowledge. It is this aspect of relationship which enables Jesus Christ to know about the deep things of God. Likewise through Jesus Christ, we are able to know Jesus Christ personally in a life changing relationship, and as a result we are then also able to know God personally. Jesus Christ is the Word made flesh and as such, Jesus Christ being very God "has explained Him" - i.e. - explained God. From the word "explained" in the last part of verse 18, we get the word "exegesis." Exegesis is to "draw out, explain, make known, or reveal something."

So we could say that "Jesus Christ is the exegesis of God" (DA Carson) - meaning that in Jesus Christ’s life, death, resurrection, and ascension we are able to know God because Jesus Christ has told us - related the truth of God - explained what the Father is like - made known to us that which was hidden in God - and revealed the fullness of God to man through the pages of Scripture. One writer expresses it like this: "As Jesus gives life and is life, raises the dead and is the resurrection, gives bread and is bread, speaks truth and is the truth, so as He speaks the word He is the Word" (CH Dodd).

As the prologue now comes to an end we find that the whole purpose and emphasis is placed upon revealing the Word as the absolute and conclusive disclosure of God Himself. Jesus Christ the Word incarnate came to seek out sinners, so that we could be delivered from our sinful spiritual bankruptcy, and then to be able to know the fullness of the grace and truth of God.

The overarching theme of John is pervasive in the prologue - "these have been written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His name" (20:31).

Jesus Christ is worthy to praised. Jesus Christ is Immanuel - God with Us.

I leave you with these truths from the letter to the Philippians, chapter 2:5-11:

"Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, [and] being made in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore also God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those who are in heaven, and on earth, and under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

(For a full explanation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ - click here - http://www.doihaveeternallife.blogspot.com/)
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John 1:14 Unveiling The God That Has Come To Live Among Us

19.10.08 John 1:14 (NASB)

Audio Sermon File: John 1:14

Going Deeper: Study Guide

Unveiling The God That Has Come To Live Among Us

John 1:14 tells us - And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.

In this verse is serious - non-negotiable doctrine about Jesus Christ - as it lays down the foundation that we as Christians stand upon. (As a note - usually when I speak about theology, it is based upon, one of my favourite theological reference books, by Paul Enns. He is able to reduce the most difficult Biblical doctrines into concise articles).

Today we are going to look at a difficult to understand subject - the incarnation. The word incarnate as defined by Webster’s quick reference dictionary is this - "in human form." This is what the incarnation is about, God coming down to earth in human form - "God With Us." To understand the fullness of the incarnation is impossible for our limited minds to grasp - but God does give us enough information in the Bible to grasp the vital reality of it. Paul Enns gives us this definition of the word incarnation - "in flesh," the incarnation defines the act wherein the eternal God the Son, took to Himself an additional nature, ie - humanity, through the virgin birth. By that act Christ did not cease to be God, but remains forever fully God and fully man - two natures in one Person (Enns, 637).

Any true Christian realizes that God entered into the world in the person of Jesus Christ, specifically at one historic point in time and space by way of the incarnation. God has done this in a way that had never been done before and never has been done since. The incarnation reveals that God is present in our world and is working here.

In order for us to understand the incarnation - we need to backtrack a little and go back to in the Gospel of John to 1:1, in order to get the total impact of the incarnation. John 1:1 states that - In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. This is a concise way that John uses to proclaim that the Word, existed before the beginning of creation. So, our attention is confronted with the fact that the Word was already present in the beginning. John strongly brings to bear that the Word was pre-existent before anything that was created. John intentionally uses a Greek verb - translated in the English Bible with - "was," which expresses the eternal pre-existence of the Word.

If John meant to express that the Word was made or created by God then he would have used another verb, which would be translated - "was made / came into being" - as found in verse 3. Therefore John brings our thoughts back to a point prior to the beginning when finite time began. The Word predates time and creation. Literally translated the opening phrase - "In the beginning was the Word," could be translated - "When the beginning began, the Word was already there." To tie verse 14 back with verse 1, so that we keep all this in context, we find that the Word was with God, and the Word was God. And this is very fascinating, one of those realities which is very hard to grasp to the very depths of the event. And that is that we find that the Word was God (v.1) - And the Word became flesh. Therefore the logical connection - and to put this another way is that God became flesh in that He took on humanity. And so it is revealed in this doctrinal statement of verse 14 - that Jesus Christ was God and human.

Now in verse 14 of this Gospel, there is a change in the focus of the relationship of the Word. In the opening verses of this book, it was the relationship between God and the Word, but now it is the relationship between the Word and Man. And to make it really tangible - a relationship between Jesus Christ and you. There is a change in state - "the Word became flesh." What this means is that the eternally pre-existent Word, who is God, as one commentator writes - now "express[es] Himself in a human personality that was visible, audible, and tangible. He partook of flesh and blood with its limitations of space and time, and with its physical handicaps of fatigue, hunger, and susceptibility to suffering, so that He belongs to humanity as well as to God" (Tenney, 70). God reveals Himself in this mind blowing way - and He makes Himself known to mankind by appearing in the likeness of men - a real historical person - Jesus Christ.

Today we will see that Jesus Christ was fully human by examining seven aspects of His humanity. We had previously in an earlier sermon established Jesus Christ’s Deity - that He is also fully God. So to complement this - we will briefly examine seven aspects that demonstrate that Jesus Christ is also fully human (alongside His Deity): 1. His birth through a woman; 2. His human nature; 3. Jesus Christ’s human body; 4. Jesus Christ’s human physical and spiritual development; 5. His immaterial make-up (spirit); 6. His human characteristics; and 7. Jesus Christ’s human names and titles.

The incarnation is critically important to all of us - because it touches upon the human condition - as it relates to the forgiveness of our sins. The incarnation is God’s fulfillment of His plan of salvation to bring us back into a right relationship with God permanently. In so doing we may be freed from the guilt and shame caused by our sins; and the weight and penalty due to our sins may be permanently removed, if we believe in the name of Jesus Christ. (I spoke last week about what it means to believe in Jesus Christ’s name). The first aspect that demonstrates Jesus as being fully human is:

1. The incarnation took place through a woman - the virgin birth.

The virgin birth is important because it guaranteed the sinlessness of the Word, Jesus Christ, the Son of God. Isaiah 7:14 of the Old Testament foretells of this actual event which states - Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, a virgin will be with child and bear a son, and she will call His name Immanuel. And now in the New Testament in Matthew 1:22-23 it affirms and records what took place in fulfillment of this, in Jesus Christ - Now all this took place to fulfill what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet: 23 "Behold, the virgin shall be with child and shall bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel," which translated means, "God with us."

You may have wondered if there was any possibility that Joseph fathered the child in Mary? Perhaps there was some confusion? The answer to these questions is found in the historic testimony of Scripture. Both the Isaiah and Matthew passages clearly indicate that this was no ordinary birth because it was through a "virgin." This fact alone is miraculous, because never in human history has this ever taken place or will ever take place again. Matthew 1:18 emphasizes this reality - "Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows. When His mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child by the Holy Spirit." The emphasis is that their had been no intimate physical relationship between Joseph and Mary. Mary’s pregnancy took place "before they came together" - that is Mary was already pregnant, yet a virgin. This child that she was carrying was clearly due to the Holy Spirit, as revealed by an angel of the Lord, found in verse 20.

In addition, look down at Matthew 1:25 - "[Joseph]…kept her a virgin until she gave birth to a Son; and he called His name Jesus." Here it states once again without doubt, that Mary remained a virgin until a point after the birth of Jesus Christ. At no time prior to her betrothal to Joseph, and up to the point of Jesus’ birth, did Mary have any physical relationships with any man. As a side note, after Jesus was born, Joseph consummated his marriage with Mary and as a result Jesus had half brothers and sisters as noted in Matthew 13:55-56.

It is an essential Biblical fact and teaching that Jesus was born through a virgin birth, which resulted in His sinlessness. If Joseph had a physical part in fathering Jesus, then Jesus would have possessed the sin nature; just as if any husband and wife beget children, these children have the sin nature. But within Mary, Jesus was conceived of by the Holy Spirit, whom guarantees the sinlessness of Christ. The conception was fully of the Holy Spirit of God and not of man, though the mode of the incarnation is through human birth. Jesus was born through the normal human birth process demonstrating His humanity.

2. The incarnation brings about the reality that Jesus Christ possesses a human nature.

In order to be the representative sin-bearer of a fallen human race, Jesus Christ had to be a man. If Jesus was not fully human, a real man of flesh and blood, then His death on the cross was just an illusion. Jesus Christ had to be a real man to die a physical death in place of human beings. Scripture is clear on the issue that Jesus Christ was indeed fully human, with one exception, that He did not possess man’s fallen nature of sin. The Apostle John affirms these truths in his letter of 1 John.

The Apostle John states that Jesus was fully human in 1 John 4:2 - "By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God." John states that Jesus is the Word [that] became flesh. Jesus was truly and fully human. In 1 John 3:5, the Apostle affirms that Jesus, though fully human, was without sin like we are - "And you know that He appeared in order to take away sins; and in Him there is no sin."

3. Jesus possesses a human body.

Jesus’ body was composed of the same cellular makeup as ours - that is Jesus’ body was flesh and blood. The word "flesh" in John 1:14, is a reference to human life, a physical being. The word "flesh" graphically portrays in a manner which emphasizes the humanness of Jesus Christ. It also emphasizes that in no way was the Word, anything less than fully human, like you and me. John uses "flesh" to make his most important point that the Creator of all, the Son of God, descended from His heavenly glory, down to such a low and humiliating state, all for our benefit.
As John Calvin states, "How great is the distance between the spiritual glory of the Word of God and the stinking filth of our flesh! Yet the Son of God stooped so low that He took on Himself that flesh which is subject to so many miseries."

Jesus, the Word became flesh - He possesses a human body. God did not come down to earth and then pick a person and dwell in Him, but the mystery of the incarnation is that God became Man - "Immanuel - God with us." The Word of God, Jesus Christ expresses Himself in a way that the people of His time, could see Him, hear Him, and touch Him. Jesus the One who made all things - emptied Himself and came veiled in human flesh and blood, and therefore subjected Himself to the limitations of time and space, emotion, suffering, and everything that we face as humans. Jesus was fully human as He was recognized as a Jew (Jn. 4:9); he had brothers and sisters (as mentioned earlier); He suffered physical pain when he was whipped by the Roman soldiers (Jn. 19:1); He felt the full force of the effects of the crucifixion (Jn. 19:18); he had a job as a carpenter (Mk.6:3); He got thirsty (Jn. 19:28), he got hungry (Lk.4:2); he grieved (Mt. 26:38); he wept, and I could continue with more examples. The point is that Jesus possesses a human body.

4. Jesus grew up as any person would developmentally.

In Luke 2:52 it states, "And Jesus kept increasing in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men." In this verse it tells us that Jesus developed in these four areas - 1. Mental - he gained wisdom in the knowledge of different things; 2. Physical - Jesus’ physical appearance and stature changed with His age; 3. Spiritual - He found favour with God and grew in a spiritual awareness; and 4. Social - His social relationships grew resulting in His favour with men. In all four of these areas - mental, physical, spiritual, and social - Jesus developed like any person could.

Jesus as He developed inevitably faced temptations to sin, yet He was not affected by sin, and so in each area He was perfect. Hebrews 4:15 brings this fact to light - "For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as [we are, yet] without sin." Jesus grew up and developed just like any of us would, yet without sin.

5. Jesus has a spirit like any of us.

Jesus as fully man, had a body and spirit as evidenced by the following events recorded in Scripture. When Jesus heard from Mary that His friend Lazarus died, Jesus’ spirit became exceedingly emotional. John 11:33 records - "When Jesus therefore saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her, [also] weeping, He was deeply moved in spirit, and was troubled."
The Apostle John once again accurately records the effects upon Jesus’ soul, as Jesus contemplated taking upon Himself the full wrath of God for the sins of the world. John 12:27 records Jesus’ own words - "Now My soul has become troubled; and what shall I say, 'Father, save Me from this hour'? But for this purpose I came to this hour." In these two verses John used the strongest term to express the intense emotion that Jesus felt in His human spirit. Jesus’ immaterial makeup was like any person, possessing soul and spirit.

6. Jesus Christ possessed all the characteristics of a human.

It is characteristic for us to get to a point where we would say - "I’m starving." Likewise Jesus felt hunger - Matt. 21:18 - "Now in the morning, when He returned to the city, He became hungry." Jesus also had to quench His thirst as His throat became parched from the heat after a journey - "Give Me a drink" (Jn. 4:7). Jesus faced the same emotions that we face, as he wept when His friend Lazarus died (Jn. 11:34-35). Jesus demonstrated His compassion upon the people that did not have any genuine and qualified leaders - Matt. 9:36 reads - "And seeing the multitudes, He felt compassion for them, because they were distressed and downcast like sheep without a shepherd."

Jesus truly felt grief and as a result wept over the Holy city of Jerusalem, as He prophesied about the destruction of Jerusalem under enemy hands in AD 70 (Lk. 19:41). Jesus became justifiably angered - "And after looking around at them with anger, grieved at their hardness of heart" this took place as Jesus healed the man with a withered hand (Mk 3:5). After walking a great distance Jesus got tired and stopped to rest at Jacob’s well (Jn. 4:6). Jesus Christ needed to sleep like we all do - "And He Himself was in the stern, asleep on the cushion; and they awoke Him (Mk. 4:38).

Just as it is appointed for all men to live and die among other people, Jesus "dwelt among us" also, if you look back down at John 1:14. The literal meaning of "dwelt" is "to pitch tent" or "tabernacled." It gives the reader the same sense, as God’s presence which "dwelt" in the tabernacle of the OT. What was displayed of God’s presence in the OT was known as the "Shekinah." The "Shekinah" was the Jewish word that referred to God’s presence, God’s glory being veiled in a pillar of cloud or fire. What the Apostle John is stating, when he says that the Word "dwelt among us," is that the invisible Almighty God, has brought Himself down to earth and participated fully, in the daily lives of those of Jesus’ time - as a result of the incarnation. In other words we could say that Jesus came to earth and "pitched His tent here and lived with His creation, man."

7. People are given names and titles, and likewise Jesus had human names and titles.

His most common everyday name was Jesus, which also had a meaning - "Yahweh saves" (Matt. 1:21). Jesus was given the title "son of David," which signified that He came from the same family lineage as the great King David (Matt. 1:1). Jesus was also referred to as Rabbi in Jn. 1:38 - "And they said to Him, " Rabbi (which translated means Teacher), where are You staying."
The Apostle Paul refers to Jesus as the "Man" whom God will use to judge the world in righteousness. There are many names which Jesus had which are like our own.

Jesus Christ is fully human as evidenced by His birth through a woman, His human nature, human body, human physical and spiritual development, His immaterial make-up (spirit), human characteristics, and human names and titles. Yes, Jesus Christ is fully - 100% Man, but He is also fully 100% God.

As we continue in verse 14 - we find that those in Jesus’ time, like the Apostle John and the other disciples, who were there - "saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father." The incarnation served to reveal God in a far greater way than had been possible before in all of human history. The word "saw" speaks of the eyewitnesses to Jesus Christ, being able to observe Him. There was now available for the first time, an tremendous level of physical interaction between God and man. Man, and in particular the Apostle John and the disciples were able to probe God in the person of Jesus Christ. They were able to personally interact with the Word - Jesus Christ, and question and observe Him. They certainly had an immense privilege, one which we will have to wait until we are in heaven.

In the Word - Jesus Christ - is revealed the full and glorious presence of God - veiled in human flesh. Indeed God’s glory and presence are incarnate - "in flesh" - Immanuel -"God with us." Everything that Jesus did from birth to life to death on a cross revealed the glory of our One true God. The word "glory," comes from the Greek word Doxa, and we get our English word Doxology, that stems from it. Doxology is defined as an expression of praise to God. Jesus Christ, God incarnate was granted glory by His Father as His "only begotten" which is better translated as - "One and only," "one of a kind," "the only beloved Son" - speaking of Jesus Christ’s prominence or pre-eminence.

This is the incarnation, and as in the last part of verse 14 of John chapter 1, the Apostle describes this reality as: "full of grace and truth." The Apostle perhaps had in mind Moses’ request of God in Exodus. There, Moses asks God to display His glory, and as result God responds with these words - "I Myself will make all My goodness pass before you, and will proclaim the name of the Lord before you; and I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show compassion on whom I will show compassion." This verse describes the realities of the incarnation, which is the fullest manifestation of God’s grace and God’s truth. Grace is an act that is given freely and undeserved; there is no expectation of getting something back for the motive is pure based in generosity and love.

The two words grace and truth - are attributes which are Biblically connected with Christ’s salvation offered. For our salvation comes through receiving and believing the truth of the gospel - and the result is Christ’s saving grace imparted to us. The incarnation shows fully the extent of God’s compassion, favour, love, faithfulness, grace, and goodwill upon the pinnacle of His creation. In no other way - in the past or in the future - has the truth and reality of God, been perfectly displayed, except in Jesus Christ.

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Historical Notes

Over the years in the church there have been many heresies concerning the nature of - Immanuel God with us. Here is a brief history of some of the heresies in the early church concerning what some people believed about Christ’s nature:

In the fourth century A.D. Arius, a prominent church leader in Alexandria, began to promote the view that Jesus - was not eternal - and that Jesus was subordinate to God the Father and therefore He must be regarded as outside to the divine essence and therefore only a creature. Arius held that Christ was not true God. Arianism could be classified as the forerunner of modern Unitarianism - which believes in the oneness of God but deny the Trinity. They also therefore deny the Deity of Jesus Christ. Another group which continues Arius’ teaching are the Jehovah Witnesses.

In the fourth century, Apollinaris, bishop of Laodicea in Syria, wrote against Arianism and other heresies. Zealously wishing to maintain the true error of denying Christ’s full humanity, he declared that Christ had a human body but did not possess a human spirit. Appolinaris believed that Christ’s deity simply occupied a vacant body - which was a glorified and spiritualized form of humanity. Therefore the complete, true, and proper humanity of Jesus was therefore denied.
In the fifth century, Nestorius, patriarch of Constan-tinople, taught that Christ was both God and man, but that the Godhead was one Person, the manhood another. Therefore - instead of a union of two natures with distinction in one person, Nestorians taught that there were two persons. The Assyrian Church of the East and The Nestorian Church are the modern day outworking of Nestorius’ error.

In this same era lived Eutyches, a monk of Constan-tinople, who was a zealous foe of Nestorius: yet he proposed another strange theory concerning the nature of our Lord. Eutyches went so far as to affirm that after the union - or mixing - of the two natures, the human and the divine, Christ had only one nature, that of the incarnate Word, and therefore His human body was essentially different from other human bodies. Today those who hold this heresy are primarily found in the Syriac Orthodox Church.

Thomas G. Lawrence states - The early church met these heretics with four adverbs which briefly and conveniently defined the two natures in Christ’s One Person. They said that when "the Word was made flesh" the divine and the human natures were united:
"truly" to oppose the Arians; "perfectly," to oppose the Apollinarians; "undividedly," to oppose the Nestorians; and "unmixedly," to oppose the Eutychians.

The Word came as a Person - Immanuel God with us - with the resulting union of the two natures, which is Deity and humanity - the God-Man - 100% God and 100% Man.

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The prophecy surrounding Jesus’ coming.

This subject is very interesting. The coming of the incarnation is spoken about, prophetically, in the Old Testament in Isaiah 7:14. It states in Isaiah 7:14 - "Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, a virgin will be with child and bear a son, and she will call His name Immanuel." This prophecy looked far into the future past Isaiah’s day, when God would bring to completion His plan of salvation for all generations. The time frame between this prophecy and its actual fulfillment would be approximately 700 years.

We specifically find 2 references to the fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy in the New Testament. The first reference to Isaiah’s prophecy is in the Gospel according to Matthew and the second reference is in the Gospel according to Luke. The passage in Matthew states: Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows. When His mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child by the Holy Spirit. 19 And Joseph her husband, being a righteous man, and not wanting to disgrace her, desired to put her away secretly. 20 But when he had considered this, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, "Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife; for that which has been conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. 21 "And she will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for it is He who will save His people from their sins." 22 Now all this took place that what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet might be fulfilled, saying, 23 "Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and shall bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel," which translated means, "God with us." 24 And Joseph arose from his sleep, and did as the angel of the Lord commanded him, and took [her] as his wife, 25 and kept her a virgin until she gave birth to a Son; and he called His name Jesus (Matt. 1:18-25).

The following facts that are presented, can be cross referenced and substantiated in the Gospel according to Luke, but just to simplify things, we will only work from the Matthew text. In this passage from Matthew we see that, what God had told to Isaiah to record, had now come to pass. Which is that a virgin, named Mary, gave birth to a child which had been conceived not of human means, but was of the Holy Spirit. Further in this passage Matthew reveals and defines to us his readers, that this child who was referred to as, Immanuel - means "God with us." In other words, found in this child is no ordinary human being, but this child named Jesus, was God Himself with us here on earth. What an awesome truth - God with us ! This is the starting foundation of our salvation from our sins through Jesus Christ coming to earth so that God is with us.

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True Hope Realized
By Noah Ressler

Have you ever hoped for something that you know is going to come to pass, but is not here yet? I think all of us, at one time or another, have held out hope. Little children dream and hold on to hope as a source of joy and happiness – perhaps grandma and grandpa are coming to visit, or their birthday is coming up and they hold out hope for some surprise mom and dad may have in store for them. Young single people hold on to hope that they may marry the man or woman of their dreams – held in some form of suspense as they seek out or wait for that right one to come along. Hope deferred or put off for a time makes the heart sick, but when it comes, it is a tree of life (Prov. 13:12).

A nation of people held onto hope, a confidence of knowing, that a Redeemer was coming. Nationally, their Hope was to deliver them from their bondage under the Romans and establish His kingdom at the temple in Jerusalem. We know that Israel was holding out hope for their Redeemer because the Gospel narratives reveal this hope. In John 1:21-25 the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask John the Baptist if he was the Prophet or the Christ (Messiah). At the feeding of the 5,000 the people responded with, "… This is truly the Prophet who is to come into the world" (Jn. 6:14). Their hope was based on Messiah’s coming as human and sometimes as Divine. He was to become the woman’s "seed" (Gen. 3:15); a "prophet" like unto Moses (see Deut. 18:18); a lineal descendent of David (2 Sam. 7:12); Yahweh’s "Servant" (Isa. 42:1); a "Man of Sorrows" (Isa. 53:3).

Yet, on the other hand, He was to be "the Branch of the Lord, beautiful and glorious" (Isa. 4:2); He was "the Wonderful Counsellor, the Mighty God, Eternal Father, the Prince of Peace" (Isa. 9:6). As YHWH, He was to come suddenly to His temple (Mal. 3:1). The One who was to be born in Bethlehem and be Ruler in Israel, was the One "whose goings forth had been from the days of eternity" (Mic. 5:2). How were these two sets of prophecies to be harmonized? John 1:14 is the answer. The One born at Bethlehem was the Divine and eternal Word. The Incarnation does not mean that God dwelt in a man, but that God became Man. He became what He was not previously, though He never ceased to be all that He was before. The truly spiritual Israel were looking for this redemption. National Israel were looking for relief from the Romans, not concerned about their spiritual condition as much as they were for their independence again, for they had their spiritual leaders (they thought) who were hypocrites and leading the people astray.

Oh what great grace God has had upon us. Though the promises were originally made to Israel, they rejected Him – He came unto His own and His own received Him not (Jn. 1:10). So then God, in His grace turned to all who would believe in Him. He became Man so that He could rightfully represent us by His work on the cross before the Father. He dwelt among the people at that time to verify His credentials that He is in fact God in the flesh, the promised One of old. At the cross and His resurrection He demonstrated that He is in fact full to the full of grace and that He is true to His Word. Do you believe that? Have you ever confessed Christ as Lord and Savior of your life. Are you willing at this time to turn away from your sin (repent) and turn to Christ. He will save you now if you respond to His loving command.

Believer, what great grace we have been given, to perceive that Jesus is the Christ, He is our Lord and Savior, for we have been turned from our life of sin unto a life of grace and truth, through Jesus Christ. Thank God for His unspeakable gift.

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(For a full explanation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ - click here - http://www.doihaveeternallife.blogspot.com/)
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John 1:9-13 Unveiling Spiritual Tragedy and Transformation

12.11.08 John 1:9-13 (NASB)

Audio Sermon File: John-1:9-13

Going Deeper: Study Guide

Unveiling Spiritual Tragedy and Transformation

Here are just some of the greatest tragedies of recent years that will mark our generation for years to come:

The Columbia - February 1st, 2003 - seven crew members of the space shuttle were instantaneously killed as their space shuttle disintegrated during re-entry into the earth’s atmosphere. The Indonesian Tsunami - boxing day 2004 - leaving 130,406 dead - 36,836 missing - and displaced 504,518. Overall Damage from the tsunami is estimated at $5 billion.
Hurricane Katrina of 2005 was the United States most costly at 81.2 billion - and as well as one of its five deadliest in their history. It caused major damage along the Gulf coast. New Orleans was hit the hardest with every levee breached causing flooding to 80% of the city - and leaving at least 1,836 people dead. The effects of the devastation still are present today. Moving into 2008 is the Myanmar cyclone in May with a 12 foot high tidal wave wiping out entire villages - killing about 146,000 people, and thousands still missing. It is feared that the total fallout in human terms will be close to 1 million lives affected as foreign aid efforts was hampered by the military government. The sum of the damage is pegged at $10 million. Falling on the heals of this disaster was the 7.9 magnitude earthquake in central China also in May. The toll exceeded 69,000 deaths - and 86 billion in damage, being the 3rd costliest disaster in human history. It left 4.8 million people homeless - some estimating that figure to be up to 11 million. Then in July - this time in southern China was the mass flooding killing over 60 people and destroying 5.4 million acres of crops. Finally - the news of the past few months and weeks - as it relates to the sub-prime mortgage problems which have led to a worldwide financial credit crisis - this could be the economic tragedy of our generation.

Today in our passage from the Gospel of John - we are also going to look at TRAGEDY. This TRAGEDY is in the realm of the spiritual - which is of a magnitude greater than any of the physical tragedies I have just listed. It might be fitting that we are into this section of the gospel of John as we celebrate Thanksgiving this weekend. Because for us the Christian - it is a time where we especially fix our thoughts upon the things that God has done in our lives - as we examine the issue of TRANSFORMATION which we give thanks to Christ for. A spiritual TRANSFORMATION which frees us from the ultimate TRAGEDY.

Upon Christ’s entry into our world, man can find himself in 1 of only 2 categories:
TRAGEDY or TRANSFORMATION. We who find ourselves confronted by Jesus Christ the Light - can only be marked by TRAGEDY or TRANSORMATION. TRAGEDY brings about conscious eternal spiritual death, and TRANSFORMATION brings about the blessings of spiritual eternal life. So today as we unfold this passage we will ask these 2 questions:

1. Is my life marked out by spiritual TRAGEDY?
2. Is my life a witness to the TRANSFORMATION work of Christ in me?

John 1:9-13 states - There was the true Light which, coming into the world, enlightens every man. 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 those who were His own did not receive Him. 12 But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, [even] 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.

Let us look at our first applicational question - and point one:

1. Is my life marked out by spiritual TRAGEDY?

(beginning at verse "9 and ending at verse 11"- or perhaps we could say verses 9-1-1 or "9/11")

The TRAGEDY that we witness is the outright rejection of Jesus Christ by those He created. In verse 9 we are given the concept of ‘truth’ which is another one of the central themes of this Gospel.

The word - ‘true’ in v.9 - indicates that Jesus Christ is steadfast, faithful, and dependable. Jesus Christ is the true Light and the Apostle John makes clear that this is the ‘real thing’ not some false Christ. In the previous verses (vv.6-8) as we examined the last time - John the Baptist - was only a witness to the true light.

It was Jesus Christ the light - who entered into the fabric of life in a way which had never been seen by the world. He enters our world into human time and space - God in the veil of human flesh - and speaking to us revealing the reality of God to all people. And becuase of this, people owe their existence to Him, but because of sin - people intentionally refuse to know Jesus Christ.

This truth is seen in Paul’s letter to the Romans 1:28-32:
28 And just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God any longer, God gave them over to a depraved mind, to do those things which are not proper, 29 being filled with all unrighteousness, wickedness, greed, evil; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malice; [they are] gossips, 30 slanderers, haters of God, insolent, arrogant, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, 31 without understanding, untrustworthy, unloving, unmerciful; 32 and although they know the ordinance of God, that those who practice such things are worthy of death, they not only do the same, but also give hearty approval to those who practice them.

Our world as a system - has no desire to comprehend the manifested Word and has no place for Him. You don’t have to look to hard to find evidence of people openly rejecting God and Jesus Christ. People openly are defying God ordained authority - like their parents, police, teachers, government. Unbelievers are essentially self-centered as a result of sin - and they will do anything to climb the ladder of self success - as opposed to doing things to please God.
This kind of depravity is the basis of rejecting Christ and casting hatred towards Him. Those around Christ when He was on earth, had a superficial comprehension of Him.
This world we live in belongs to God, and it is His world, created by Him through the agency of Jesus Christ as we recently examined in verses 3-5. Yet our world has pushed out the reality that it is controlled by Christ. Christ’s role in creation is rejected by secular theories - that we came into being through evolution. Jesus is rejected by commercial marketing that Christmas and Easter is replaced with happy holidays - and Thanksgiving is about turkey and not God’s provision. Jesus is rejected by making the Lord’s Day (Sunday) into a day for one’s own enjoyment and self focus. The spirit of this age has replaced the reality of a living Saviour who will judge sin - in favour of embracing a secular Jesus who loves and receives everyone into heaven. And Jesus is rejected by this world so that be reduced to a good man and one of many viable religious leaders - and that God is only an option. God is even being slowly depreciated within mainline evangelical churches.

Despite this world’s rejection of God, we are still the object of God’s love - as we are told in Jn 3:16-21:
16 "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. 17 "For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him. 18 "He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. 19 "This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil. 20 "For everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come to the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. 21 "But he who practices the truth comes to the Light, so that his deeds may be manifested as having been wrought in God."

The world did not know Jesus Christ, not in the sense of having an intellectual knowledge, but the Apostle John speaks about having a depth of personal knowledge of Jesus Christ - saving knowledge.

If we look to verse 10 of John chapter 1 - you will find the word - know. This word is a reference to a certain type of knowledge. In the Greek there are 2 words which can be translated into the English as ‘know.’ The first word for ‘know’ can be defined as a knowledge of someone, which is basically superficial. Well Tuesday is election day right? How many of you know who Stephen Harper is? All of you could say you know him. But none of you know him though personal experience.

Now there is also another Greek word translated as ‘know,’ which can be defined as a experiential knowledge. A knowledge that goes beyond the surface and into a personal relationship. This type of knowledge is like the way you would know your brother or sister, or you would know your husband or wife. You know that your wife likes chocolate. You know your husband hates clothes shopping. You know what make him/her tick because there is a personal relationship. So what is the importance of realizing the difference of these two Greek words?
The message for us today is - in which way do you know Jesus Christ? Is it by name only and on a superficial level? Or is it on a deeper level - on a level where there is a vital and active relationship between Jesus Christ and yourself - a personal relationship. Does your relationship with Christ end after you leave this building? Or maybe it has not even begun. Or does your relationship with Christ extend into the week? And you find yourself meditating upon His awesome glory, His Word, talking with Him, praising Him, worshipping Him, conforming your life according to His image. The point that the Apostle John is making can be summed up in this familiar saying - "it is not what you know - but it is who you know."

These are the kinds of spiritual challenges that the Gospel of John deliver to us today. It certainly would be a tragedy - not to know Jesus Christ in a personal relationship as your Lord and Saviour! It takes more than knowing the facts about Jesus. Mere facts, intellectual knowledge alone, will not save you… James 2:19 states: You believe that God is one. You do well; the demons also believe, and shudder.

Demons, ie - fallen angels, have a very good understanding of who God is….since they used to be in close fellowship with God. But even with this knowledge of who God is, they do not have a saving personal relationship with God. Despite their knowledge of God, these mere facts will not save the demons from eternal condemnation.

Jesus Christ made the world and it belongs to Him, it is His own property that Jesus Christ comes to visit; He inherently owns everything and has authority over it all - including each one of us - whether we believe in Him or not. When Jesus Christ came to His own creation (in the context of the people of Israel). But in verse 11 - the apostle John reveals to us that - His own did not receive His - they did not accept and embrace Him - as one might expect them to do
Jesus Christ was Israel’s Messiah and they knew about Him through OT Scripture, but when He came to them He was rejected, because they had no desire to know Him as Lord and Savior. They rebelled against the Creator’s authority over their lives - even though they were made by Him.

John is picturing the sad reality that when Jesus Christ (The eternal Word, God the Son) came to earth - coming in the likeness of men, the people that He created rejected Him. What a grim picture of this reality, Jesus Christ came to save those who were lost - Jesus Christ didn’t come to judge, but to offer eternal life - but He was rejected. John realizes that the world that he lived in was not a nice place, and John doesn’t present Jesus Christ’s entry into this world to make it nicer. John’s realization is still relevant today…for we live in a world that continues to reject the truth, and replace it with relative truths - lies - that vary from man to man.

Where do you stand today in relation to the true Light? Is my life marked out by spiritual TRAGEDY?

Despite this grim picture of TRAGEDY, it is through the coming light - Jesus Christ - that we might consider our second applicational question:

2. Is my life a witness to the TRANSFORMATION work of Christ in me?

John 1:12-13 states - But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, [even] 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.

So it is in these verses that we find TRANSFORMATION…the TRANSFORMATION upon the sinners soul as it is changed by the Light. The infallible proofs of who Jesus Christ is, that were all laid out from verse 1, now come to a focal point in verse 12. This verse is the defining statement for those who are confronted with the eyewitness truths of John’s Gospel. These verses partner with the overall theme and purpose of the Gospel in 20:31 - but these have been written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His name.

And as a result - people today - and perhaps some of us here today - need to seriously ask - "Have I received Jesus Christ as my Lord and Saviour?" "Do I have a personal, vital, and active relationship with God through Jesus Christ?"

Verse 12 tells us that some did receive Him, and those who did - it effected in their lives belief. We who have received Jesus Christ are given the blessings and privileges that are part of being a member of the family of God offered by Jesus Christ. The Apostle John equates the two terms "received" and "believe" in verse 12. We might ask what does it mean to receive Jesus? Receiving Jesus Christ means that when He offers to you eternal life - you welcome Him and accept His loving command to repent of sin in your life and to be reconciled to God. It is to place your complete faith in Jesus Christ alone, to give your full allegiance to Him, and to acknowledge all His claims: He claims to be God in human flesh; He claims to come and take away our sins through the sacrifice of His sinless life upon a cross; He claims that you must trust in the historic reality of His life, death, and resurrection on the third day from the grave, etc.

John Piper writes this about receiving Jesus Christ:
If he comes to you as Savior, you welcome his salvation. If he comes to you as Leader, you welcome his leadership. If he comes to you as Provider, you welcome his provision. If he comes to you as Counsellor, you welcome his counsel. If he comes to you as Protector you welcome his protection. If he comes to you as Authority, you welcome his authority. If he comes to you as King, you welcome his rule.

Receiving Jesus Christ is to abandon sin and to submit and be obedient to His righteous ways. It calls for repentance as we examined last time. The picture of repentance in the Bible, is more than just an intellectual change. It encompasses more, and includes a change in a person’s thought and will. The emphasis of Biblical repentance is the person’s decision for the whole of himself to be changed.

Believing on Jesus’ name is the key element in receiving the revelation of the Word of God - who is Jesus Christ - that has come into the world. The resulting effect is that you instantaneously enter into a relationship with Jesus Christ, who grants you the right to enter into the family of God as one of its members - and as an heir of all that He possesses as children of God. Believing in Jesus Christ’s name is more than just a ‘name’ which a person is given. So what does it mean to believe in the name of Jesus Christ? Believing in the name of Jesus Christ encompasses believing in the very character and person that the name is associated with. When I mention the name Hitler what comes to mind? When I say Wayne Gretzky what comes to mind? What comes to mind should be the character and deeds of that person.

Looking down at verse 12 - only Jesus Christ has the ‘right’ - having delegated authority / power to grant to the believing person the position of being a child of God through His gift of grace and faith. All of us have been given gifts - whether for a birthday, anniversary, or Christmas. When we are given a gift and we receive it, our action represents our confidence in the trustworthiness and reality of that gift (tangible or intangible) - that it becomes part of our possessions.

The result of receiving God’s gift of forgiveness for sins, through Jesus Christ, is that we become His spiritual child. Without Jesus Christ we are not His spiritual children and in fact a person in this category is a child of God’s wrath (Eph 2:3). Therefore as we are received by Christ, a change in nature takes place in our spiritual state. If we do not believe in Christ then we are under God’s judgement, but if we do believe in Christ then we - become children of God (v.12).
Today many preachers say all you need to do to become a Christian is to believe in the name of Jesus but what does this mean? It is not what you know and what you believe, but it is whom you know and in whom you believe in. There is no easy formula for believing - true spiritual change must be demonstrated in one’s life; no spiritual change = no eternal life.

In verse 13 - John continues and speaks about those who receive Christ - who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God. The new relationship, between God and man which the child of God enjoys is made actual, not simply by a physical relationship, and certainly not via sheer human decision. But it is through a divine imparting of eternal life by Christ. This a new birth - spiritual rebirth, not physical / biological birth. Human birth is dependent upon the desire and will of a man and a woman. It is the uniting of the husband and wife, in bringing forth a child who is of a blood relationship. Spiritual birth is not by this means, but is wholly an act of God who grants a person saving faith in His Son the Word, Jesus Christ
Many people today would think they are saved because they may have parents that are Christians - or maybe they think that ritualistically attending church will save them - and on this basis they feel that they have an inside track to God - as if this would give us some brownie points with God. But this is far from the truth, because these things do not constitute a saving relationship that can be established simply through a blood connection. It also is not brought about by our own efforts. Saving faith through Christ, does result when we cease to trust and rely upon our own merits and achievements and come to trust solely upon Christ and His merit alone - as we come to him in repentance (the confession of - and the complete turning away from our love of sin).

Saving faith must be established by a right and holy relationship with Christ - it is a reconciliation which only Christ can grant to the sinner. Faith in Christ’s name brings hope of life, which only God can accomplish in a person’s life, therefore salvation cannot be achieved through human relationship, personal achievement, or by human will power.

A life marked out by TRANSFORMATION will evidence itself by having an intimate experiential knowledge of the work and person of Jesus Christ, through the Word of God. Since the Bible is God’s source and power unto salvation for the sinner. The relationship is based upon objective truth - therefore you can have a true relationship with Jesus Christ.

Jesus Christ is the light of the world - Jesus declared this is John 8:12 - Then Jesus again spoke to them, saying, "I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life." The light has come and it touches all people including those hostile to God, as He demonstrates His love. The illumination that the true Light provides is this: the dispelling of the darkness of sin and unbelief. But - not every man desires to be enlightened by the light - because of his love of sin. There is only one hope - that our darkened and sin stained world has - and that is God through Christ. I know that we all would agree and are painfully aware, that the world that we live in is not perfect - there is no hope that we can save the world ….but ….we can have hope that our souls may be saved in Christ.

As we close off , I would like to read an illustration titled - One Cottage Burned (W. W. Weeks):
Years ago a fishing fleet went out from a small harbor on the east coast of Newfoundland. In the afternoon there came up a great storm. When night settled down not a single vessel of all the fleet had found its way into port. All night long - wives, mothers, children, and sweethearts paced up and down the beach, clasping their hands together and calling on God to save their loved ones. To add to the horror of the situation, one of the cottages caught fire. Since the fishermen who were also the towns firemen were all at sea, it was impossible to save the home.
When the morning broke, to the joy of all, the entire fleet found safe harbor in the bay. But there was one face which was a picture of despair— it was on the wife of the man whose home had been destroyed. Meeting her husband as he landed, she cried, "Oh, husband, we are ruined! Our home and all it contained was destroyed by fire!" But the man exclaimed, "Thank God for the fire! It was the light of our burning cottage that guided the whole fleet into port!"

True TRADGEDY is marked by a sole focus on the burned out house - a focus on ourselves and the world around us that we love so much. BUT true TRANSFORMATION is marked out by the saving results of focusing upon the eternally burning Light - Jesus Christ.

Is your life a witness to the TRANSFORMING work of Jesus Christ - which results in thanksgiving? OR is it marked out by thanklessness - an eternal spiritual TRAGEDY?

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Further Food For Thought

Perhaps today you have realized for the first time that you are responsible before God for the light you do possess. You must admit that it is true – this world and all that is therein did not just happen. And furthermore, your conscience bears witness to right and wrong according to the Law of God. The fool has said, "There is no God" (Ps. 14:1)! The Hebrew word fool is - nabal - meaning one who lacks character – it is moral and not intellectual foolishness. But, surely you are not willing to pin your whole future on rejection of the truth are you? There are consequences that are tragic – eternal damnation in the Lake of Fire forever and ever. Jesus Christ made the world; He made you – do not reject Him. He would have you to turn from your sin and confess Christ as Lord of your life. Do it now. To wait is a gamble that you might lose, because you do not know what tomorrow, or even the rest of this day holds.

Oh, believer, you know these things are true. But to address you – is there something in your life you hold to that you use to justify yourself or some sin that easily hinders your walk for the Lord. Now, turn from it. Trust the Holy Spirit to empower you to depart and not look at and harbor the unclean thing again. He can and He will if you will let Him. Be sure that we are accountable to a holy God. He is merciful and full of blessing. But He cannot deny Himself. He must deal with that that opposes His holy nature. Let us all with one voice lift up praise to God who dwells on high, let us glorify Him in word and deed.

By Noah Ressler

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A true saving relationship with Christ may be somewhat described with 3 words - HEAD, HEART, and FEET:

A vital relationship with Christ requires intellectual understanding of the person of Christ and our sinfulness, which causes spiritual change lead by the Holy Spirit. This is ‘HEAD’ knowledge that we acknowledge our complete sinfulness before a Holy God. We utterly realize that we need Christ alone to save us from our own depravity. We know that we will be judged according to our sins, if we choose to reject Jesus Christ.

A true saving relationship with Christ will also involve the ‘HEART’ - which signifies the personal, emotional aspects of a relationship with Christ. This will lead to a genuine humility before a Holy God. There is a broken-heartedness which manifests itself in confession and repentance from one’s sin. There is present, through the work of the Holy Spirit, a true love for God and a devotion to His glory.

And a saving relationship with Christ also incorporates the ‘FEET’ - as true believers we will walk in the paths of Christ’s righteousness and away from sin. We walk in obedience to the full counsel of His Word - the Bible. This is characterized by devotion to God’s ways. There exists continual prayer, and selfless love. We increasingly grow apart from the desire for the things that this world offers. Continued personal spiritual growth is observed. And there is a commitment to Christ through obedient living and the desire to bring and proclaim the Good News of Christ to others.

(For a full explanation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ - click here - http://www.doihaveeternallife.blogspot.com/)
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John 1:6-8 Unveiling The Witness To The Light

05.10.08 John 1:6-8 (NASB)

Audio Sermon File: John-1:6-8

Going Deeper: Study Guide

Unveiling The Witness To The Light

Imagine if you were walking down the street and in the near distance - there was a man approaching you. What would you think if this man was loudly proclaiming rebuke, cursing, and used very strong language? Would you think he was a drunkard? Mentally deranged? Strung out on Meth? Would you think that God would have anything to do with such a man?
Today we are going to meet a man whom on the surface could be mistakenly put into the fore-mentioned category. But the man that I am alluding to was certainly no addict - no a drunkard, and in fact he had never had any wine or fermented drink. He was sober and his mind was sharp, for from birth he was "filled with the Holy Spirit."

The Man that I have been speaking about also had a unique outward appearance, being dressed in a garment made from camels hair, strapped on with a leather belt. A man that worked in the great outdoors. A man that was living off a unique diet - consisting of locusts and wild honey - the common diet of the poor.

This takes us to the starting point of this our message as we unveil God’s witness to His Light - His Son Jesus Christ. We also will examine the call for each one of us as Christians to be a witness to the Light.

Let us meet this man - from the Gospel of John. Please turn to the Gospel of John chapter 1 verse 6-8 - it reads: There came a man sent from God, whose name was John. 7 He came as a witness, to testify about the Light, so that all might believe through him. 8 He was not the Light, but [he came] to testify about the Light.

John was "The Witness to the Light." He prepared the way for the Word - Jesus Christ. And today we will discover the mission God prepared for him. Through 3 aspects of John’s ministry we will understand why God sent John ahead of Christ. And in understanding John the Baptist’s calling - may it be a reminder of the Lord’s calling upon each of our lives as Christians.

The first aspect of John’s ministry could be summarized as the presentation of the witness: There came a man sent from God, whose name was John - v.6

As we begin verse 6 there is a sudden shift from the heavenly exaltation of the character and nature of Jesus Christ - as the eternal - self existent - exalted creator, God…. to a special man - yet only a mere mortal and nothing more. This witness is none other than John the Baptist.
All 4 Gospels make reference to John the Baptist, and he is even referred to in the Book of Acts. Now we have the historical appearance of John the Baptist as undeniable evidence as to the nature of Christ expressed in the first 5 verses. Allow me to paint a profile of John the Baptist for you.

John the Baptist is one of the NT’s most mysterious figures. With John the Baptist’s arrival, it signified the end of nearly 400 years of silence between the OT and NT. There was no revelations from God nor His prophets. And now through John the Baptist - Israel was about to once again to experience God’s powerful Word. John the Baptist was born through the miraculous intervention of God, to a childless couple, Zacharias and Elizabeth, who were advanced in years (Lk. 1:7). John’s birth was foretold in a supernatural way - one of God’s angels, named Gabriel, came and announced his birth (Lk. 1:11-25). As an interesting side note - the angel Gabriel is the same angel that announces Christ’s birth. John the Baptist was a relative of Jesus Christ (Lk. 1:36). His ministry was prophesied by the prophet Isaiah of the OT about 700 years in advance (Is. 40:3-5; Lk.3:4-6). John the Baptist, was a herald, who prepared the way for the Messiah calling all to repent (Lk. 3:3). He proclaimed God’s wrath upon the unrepentant. He revealed that he baptized with water, and the One that would follow him would baptize with the Holy Spirit (Lk. 3:16). John the Baptist ministered in the spirit and power of God, a lot like the prophet Elijah. There is more about John the Baptist, but we will leave that for a little bit later.

At this point I want to draw your attention back at verse 6, and look at the word - sent. The emphasis of the sentence, is on that word ‘sent’ - meaning that John was commissioned - and under someone’s authority to reveal the truth. John was - sent - by God by divine commission and under His authority - and as a result, everything that John spoke of - regarding the Word of God… Jesus Christ - was true and life changing.

As we apply this passage into our own life, we must understand that as a Christian we share something in common with John the Baptist - and that is that - like you and me too - we must acknowledge that:

1. I Am Sent Out By God

For we are sent out by God to accomplish the full scope of the Great Commission. We have been sent by Divine commission - under the authority of Jesus Christ - "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age" (Matt. 28:19-20 NIV).

For some of us it is in our family, others it in your high school or university campus - and for the rest it could be at the workplace, shopping mall, on the bus - wherever there are people to interact with. And in light of the applicational aspect of today’s sermon - I ask you to consider - how much of the Great Commission has been worked out in your life since you became a Christian?

It is only in the dependence upon the Holy Spirit, like John the Baptist, and the outworking of our calling that we can have courage and boldness to be sent out by God - to call all to repentance and to make that spiritual turn about in their lives - a 180 away from unrighteousness - to a sincere and humble response to Jesus Christ’s salvation and righteousness. May we be like an Isaiah - that we be reminded of his calling and response - we read from: Isaiah 6:8 - Then I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, "Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?" Then I said, "Here am I. Send me!"

And we know that Isaiah was faithful as God sent him right into a very spiritually dire situation in his nation where the people would reject his warnings and exhortations - his calling and the Word of God.

God sent His witness, John the Baptist to arrive on the scene before Christ as a witness to the Messiah. Therefore John had a distinct calling which gives us the purpose of the witness:
He came as a witness, to testify about the Light, so that all might believe through him (v.7).

Laid out in our verses today we have the human agent God uses as His witness, to testify about the Light - a witness to the TRUTH of the light, that would follow his ministry. The subject of ‘witness’ - as we find in our verses this day, is another one of the main themes contained in the Gospel. What we have going on, beginning in verse 7 is the emphasis of John the Baptist being a witness. The scene can be likened to a courtroom setting - with John the Baptist - being ‘A Witness to the Light’ - he is now introduced as a star witness, and he prepares to step into the witness stand to give his testimony.

What was the purpose of John the Baptist’s witness? The purpose of the witness was to testify to who Jesus Christ is - and we had a glimpse of who Jesus is, the last 2 lessons. In the preceding context of chapter 1 of this Gospel - John the Baptist was a ‘witness’ of Jesus Christ who - In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God ….. That Christ is eternally the light - the Creator and life giver. Christ has priority over creation, and we are part of His creation. Therefore He has the ultimate authority over each one of us. If Jesus Christ did not exist then we also would not exist, since Jesus Christ is the source of all things which came into being.

John’s the Baptists purpose as a witness was to point out that true life is found only in Jesus Christ because all things exist in Him; He is the cause, source, granter, and preserver of all life.
In Jesus Christ there is a special relationship to mankind, because we are the pinnacle of His creation - we are made in God’s image. But sin damaged this special relationship and we all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. Because of this Jesus Christ was sent to us so that some would be saved by Him through His voluntary and sacrificial death on the cross as payment of our debt of sins … and three days later His resurrection from the dead - effected for those who believe - eternal life.

Jesus Christ desires that we come to Him as our Light, through the repentance of our sins and entering a personal relationship with Him. True hope and ultimate victory in our lives is found only in Jesus Christ the Word. So it is as we look back to verse 7 - that God purposed through John the Baptist’s testimony - that all might believe - this is John’s purpose as a witness.

In verses 7 and 8, the emphasis is on the - witness. So the focus of these verses is not the person of John the Baptist - but it is the message that he bears that is important. A witness is important in establishing the truth and that is what John the Baptist functions as. John the Baptist’s preaching prepared the way for the coming of the Messiah: Mark 1:1-4:


The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. 2 As it is written in Isaiah the prophet: "Behold, I send My messenger ahead of You, Who will prepare Your way; 3 The voice of one crying in the wilderness, `Make ready the way of the Lord, Make His paths straight.' " 4 John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.

John’s purpose was to prepare and point people to Jesus Christ. John The Baptist confronted people with the message that they, and likewise us today - that you need to take a stand - to make a decision - acceptance or rejection - a response to faith or a response to continued faithlessness in Christ. This is the ‘Purpose of the Witness.’ Now it comes to our purpose as believers - and you and me must understand that like John the Baptist’s calling -

2. I Am Called To A Purpose


As a faithful Christian who walks by the Spirit - you are to be disciple makers - Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations. The key verb in the Great Commission is not ‘GO’- but it is ‘MAKE’ - that is we are to be purposefully engaged in evangelism to make disciples of all the nations. We can’t say that God doesn’t need us to be involved in this noble task. As we understand Jesus’ words to His disciples - and by extension that includes you and me - we certainly cannot escape the fact that the Great Commission is a command - it is a Divine imperative - to MAKE disciples - and Jesus provides the means to fulfill His command.
This is through the Spirit of Truth - who is powerful alone for the task of witness - and He is the only One who can convict a sinner of the truth - but God calls us to a purpose - and that is to partner with Him in this venture. John the Baptist was given a specific function - and with the Holy Spirit’s help - he was to be - a witness, to testify about the Light, so that all might believe through him.

This is what Merrill C. Tenney wrote: "Without the witness of the Spirit, the disciples’ witness would be powerless; without the disciples’ witness, the Spirit would be restricted in his means of expression."

So far we have examined the presentation and purpose of John the Baptist - and we have been exhorted to know that - I am sent out by God - and that - I am called to a purpose… Now let us complete the portrait of "A Witness to the Light" and examine the proclamation of the witness…. He was not the Light, but [he came] to testify about the Light (v.8).

John was only the forerunner to Christ therefore - He was not the light. He called people to repent - calling people to have a change in their personal being. A change that was in preparation of meeting JC, the Son of God , the Messiah - who was about to be unveiled to the world in His public ministry.

As a side note - it would be helpful to understand what repentance means Biblically. The Greek word for repentance is metanoia. "Meta" has the same meaning in the English as the Greek, it means change. "Noia" is Greek for mind . So when we put these words together, the basic meaning of repentance is a change of mind. The picture of repentance in the Bible, is more than just an intellectual change. It encompasses more, and includes a change in a persons thought and will. The emphasis of Biblical repentance is the persons decision for the whole of himself to be changed.

John the Baptist appeared as ‘A Witness to the Light’ in order that God use him to preach a baptism of repentance . (Matt. 3:11; Mark 1:4). The symbolism of John’s Baptism likely had it’s roots in OT purification rituals (Lev.15:13). John’s baptism indicated that a person had repented; he had changed his mind about his sin and his relationship with God. It was a public way of saying, "Through God’s grace I have taken a 180 degree turn towards God - I have changed my mind about my sinfulness. I now look at sin in the same way that God views my sin. I am a sinner and I cast myself on God’s mercy and His salvation to prepare me for the coming Messiah." As a result he was now intentionally and actively submitting himself to God and His Word for cleansing and forgiveness. It was a repentance that had to be demonstrated with a changed life in preparation for Jesus Christ, the coming Messiah.

Jews accepting John’s baptism were taking a bold step of faith. These Jews were admitting that they had been living like Gentiles - enemy pagans devoid of any spiritual life - unclean - blasphemers - God haters. So these Jews who came to John for baptism, were by their very actions - publicly - declaring their need to become the true people of God - genuinely, inwardly. This was an amazing admission by a Jew, because there existed a strong animosity toward the Gentiles by the Jewish nation - Gentiles were unclean - they were blasphemers - God haters.
John’s baptism dealt with those who were yet to come to faith in Christ, since Christ’s earthly ministry had not begun. The baptism that we observe today is different from John’s baptism. What we as a church observe is commonly called - ‘believer’s baptism’ - since it is administered to us as believers who have been forgiven of our sins in Jesus Christ before we are baptized. It is an expression of obedience to Christ for the salvation He has granted us. It is often said that our baptism is - ‘an outward sign of inward grace.’

The "Proclamation of the Witness" was a call to repentance. As we move on to the end of our passage in verse 8 - we now find out - the hard part of John the Baptist’s calling which was - to testify about the Light.

Now let us return and finish our profile of John the Baptist. Because of John’s ministry among the common people - it resulted in his notoriety. But among the political and religious authorities, he received mixed reviews - largely negative - rather than positive. John the Baptist was a forthright man and did not care for political correctness, but instead he spoke God’s truth. And in the end his bluntness in dispensing the truth - pricked the consciences of those who oppose Christ - and the preached truth became a threat to the authorities, which landed him in prison (Lk. 3:20). In the end John the Baptist’s life was suddenly terminated by a wicked plot. He was executed - his head being decapitated and displayed on a platter at a birthday party before all the guests (Matt. 14:6-11).

The hard part that many of us neglect in our Christian calling - is in the realm of Christ’s instruction that we are to bear witness for Him - meaning that you and:

3. I Must Be A Witness To The Light.

We are all to be engaged in evangelism - missions - the Great Commission. Yet their is an inherent - high cost - of being a witness for Christ like John the Baptist. If you look at the word testify - in verse 8 (witness in the NIV). In the Greek - we find something very interesting - we find that the word - testify comes from the root word martureo (also the words witness and testify in verse 7). And that word martureo is where we get the modern day English word martyr from. A person was given the title of a martyr - because that person was called to die for their uncompromising testimony concerning someone.

A martyr is someone who gives their life up for a cause - called to die for their uncompromising testimony - and in the context of John the Baptist - that cause was for the sake of the truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ - as it states in verse 7 - so that through him all men might believe. John the Baptist prepared the way for Christ and that included - as Luke 3:18 states - So with many other exhortations he preached the gospel to the people. You and I must - testify about the Light - despite the inherent cost. And we can be faithful in carrying out the Great Commission because we are not alone - because we have the Helper - the Holy Spirit of truth. When we read the other 3 Gospels we find that despite persecution the disciples were able to be bold - courageous in evangelism. For example - in Matthew 10:16-22 - let me read that to you.
Jesus is instructing His disciples as He is about to send them out to preach - that the Kingdom of God is at hand:

"Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves; so be shrewd as serpents and innocent as doves. 17 "But beware of men, for they will hand you over to [the] courts and scourge you in their synagogues; 18 and you will even be brought before governors and kings for My sake, as a testimony to them and to the Gentiles. 19 "But when they hand you over, do not worry about how or what you are to say; for it will be given you in that hour what you are to say. 20 "For it is not you who speak, but [it is] the Spirit of your Father who speaks in you. 21 "Brother will betray brother to death, and a father [his] child; and children will rise up against parents and cause them to be put to death. 22 "You will be hated by all because of My name, but it is the one who has endured to the end who will be saved.

What Jesus is saying is that if His disciples remain faithful to their calling - and as they go to the ends of the earth to proclaim the Gospel - they are going to be put under the gun - under intense scrutiny, rejected, pressured to renounce their Lord - they will be persecuted and even put to death for the sake of the Gospel - because the world loves sin and hates God.


And in Acts 5 as Peter and the other apostles - who were imprisoned for preaching the Gospel - after being providentially released from prison by an angel - they continued to courageously proclaim the Gospel - let me pick up and read from Acts 5:29:

29 But Peter and the apostles answered, "We must obey God rather than men. 30 "The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom you had put to death by hanging Him on a cross. 31 "He is the one whom God exalted to His right hand as a Prince and a Savior, to grant repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins. 32 "And we are witnesses of these things; and [so is] the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey Him."

We must be witnesses - to testify about the Light - it is a non-negotiable. The witness of Jesus’ disciples - and likewise every Christian - is also powerful because it is through our redeemed and transformed lives that the world can have tangible evidence that Christ is able to save people from their sins.

Therefore through our changed lives in Christ - and our faithfulness to Him - the world’s rejection of Christ would be refuted. So it is then - that the indwelling Spirit of God - in each believer of Christ - you are fully equipped with the spiritual tools - so that you can be a partner in the Gospel. You are energized by the Holy Spirit to be bold in proclaiming the truth.

Isn’t it true that the best lessons are through doing? So may we prove ourselves to be doers of the Word, and not merely hearers (Js. 1:22) and therefore feel the full effects of the power of God’s Word being worked out in our lives - and see the Gospel changing lives. So let us be exhorted today that we can have courage to share the Gospel because we have the sure testimony of the Word of God before us. And so it is - that we are responsible to bring to bear upon the world the knowledge of Christ’s saving grace and love. John the Baptist had a special purpose given to him by God, who sent him to His people - he was to be A WITNESS TO THE LIGHT.

May we also be truth bearers this week as the Lord sends us out to be His witnesses.



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Exegetical Note:
In the Gospel of John, the Apostle John never mentions that the John, that he is writing about, is John the Baptist. The reason for this is that the Apostle never states his own name - as he always made reference to himself as "the disciple whom Jesus loved." It has been already granted that the, John, that the Apostle now is writing about - is well known to the audience of the Gospel. Therefore the only other John that is of major significance is John the Baptist. All 4 Gospels make reference to John the Baptist, and he is even referred to in the Book of Acts.


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John the Baptist like the Apostles of Christ were credible in their witness because they had been eyewitnesses to the truth - and had personal knowledge of Christ from the beginning of His earthly ministry. As the Apostle John wrote in his letter 1 John 1:1-4:

What was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have looked at and touched with our hands, concerning the Word of Life-- 2 and the life was manifested, and we have seen and testify and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was manifested to us-- 3 what we have seen and heard we proclaim to you also, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ. 4 These things we write, so that our joy may be made complete.

And so this witness now comes to us through the testimony of the Holy Scripture. Jesus comes into our sin darkened world, as God veiled in human flesh, because as the life giver - He is the Light of the world. And Jesus never ceases to shine as the Light of the word. John the Baptist’s purpose as a witness was to establish the fact that Jesus Christ is the only one who is able to take away the spiritual darkness in our lives. Only Jesus Christ can overcome the power of the darkness of evil and sin. The life giver - the Word of God - Jesus Christ, who made all things is worthy to be trusted with our character and lives as we turn to Him for the complete forgiveness of our sins.


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What have we learned through this lesson? To sum things up we find that the Apostle was careful in distinguishing that John the Baptist was not the light (Messiah) but that he was only ‘The Witness To The Light’ - sent by God. John was the witness to God’s unfolding plan of redemption in Jesus Christ - like the function of a lamp which is to let the light be seen and that was John the Baptist’s role was. The purpose of John the Baptist’s witness is the same as the central purpose of the Gospel which is found in 20:31: but these have been written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His name. Therefore the only true Light is found in Jesus Christ, and that true meaning and purpose in life is not found in ourselves, from others, or even in things, but it is only found in Jesus Christ.

John the Baptist was not the light. But he was the forerunner to Jesus Christ who is the light of the world, offering eternal life to those who would follow Him. What is the bottom line of John’s witness? He is telling us that JC is the only true Savior, none that came before Him or after Him - despite their claims they are not the "real thing."

(For a full explanation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ - click here - http://www.doihaveeternallife.blogspot.com/)
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