A Man Sent From God

GJ Branham Nashville A/G Jun. 27, 2004 "A Man Sent From God"

Jn. 1:6-8, 15, 19-27

There came a man who was sent from God; his name was John. 7 He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all men might believe. 8 He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light.

. . . 15 John testifies concerning Him. He cries out, saying, "This was He of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me has surpassed me because He was before me.’" . . . 19 Now this was John’s testimony when the Jews of Jerusalem sent priests and Levites to ask him who he was. 20 He did not fail to confess, but confessed freely, "I am not the Christ." 21 They asked him, "Then who are you? Are you Elijah?" He said, "I am not." "Are you the Prophet?" He answered, "No." 22 Finally they said, "Who are you? Give us an answer to take back to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?" 23 John replied in the words of Isaiah the prophet, "I am the voice of one calling in the desert, ‘Make straight the way for the Lord.’" 24 Now some Pharisees who had been sent 25 questioned him, "Why then do you baptize if you are not the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?" 26 "I baptize with water," John replied, "but among you stands one you do not know. 27 He is the one who comes after me, the thongs of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie." 28 This all happened at Bethany on the other side of the Jordan, where John was baptizing. 29 The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, "Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! 30 This is the one I meant when I said, ‘A man who comes after me has surpassed me because He was before me.’ 31 I myself did not know Him, but the reason I came baptizing with water was that He might be revealed to Israel." 32 Then John gave this testimony: "I saw the Spirit come down from heaven as a dove and remain on Him. 33 I would not have known Him, except that the one who sent me to baptize with water told me, ‘The man on whom you see the Spirit come down and remain is He who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.’ 34 I have seen and I testify that this is the Son of God." 35 The next day John was there again with two of his disciples. 36 When he saw Jesus passing by, he said, "Look, the Lamb of God!" 37 When the two disciples heard him say this, they followed Jesus.

Intro:

In several areas John the Baptizer served as an example to us. His role becomes our role. Most obviously, he pointed to Jesus, and we too are to point men to Christ. John the Baptizer could be called John the Testifier, or John the Witness.

But one area in which John serves as our role model is that of individual service. He illustrates for us God’s choice to call men and women who will serve Him faithfully for His purposes.

God still supernaturally calls men and women into His service. Notice the text reads, There came a man who was sent from God...(1:6) John didn’t go on his own. He was sent. He came on a mission from God. I’d no sooner call myself into the ministry than I’d try to perform open heart surgery on myself. (If I’m dying of a heart condition it would only complicate matters, making my situation more painful, by doing something foolish. The same is true of ministry: people are dying of a ‘heart condition,’ but human effort alone can only provide foolish acts offered with the best intentions.) To be part of the spiritual answer to the spiritual problem we have to be spiritually called and spiritually equipped. (See Lk. 24:49)

John was A Man from God, A Messenger for Christ, and A Medium for the Spirit.

A Man From God

There came a man who was sent from God; his name was John. 7 He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all men might believe. 8 He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light.

God uses people. We are God’s means for reaching the world. The opening lines from E.M. Bounds’ booklet Preacher and Prayer reveal a depth of godly insight pertinent for today.

We are constantly on a stretch, if not a strain, to devise new methods, new plans, new organizations, to advance the church and secure enlargement and efficiency for the Gospel. This trend of the day has a tendency to lose sight of the man or sink the man in the plan or organization. God’s plan is to make much of the man, far more of him than of anything else. Men are God’s method. Men are looking for better methods; God is looking for better men. (p. 1)